Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat

[goldielocks]

Some schools the professor on leave does have a say in the process--if they want to--but many professors on leave don't care to. I know of some places where professors who will be on leave during the cohorts first year don't get to be part of the process. It can very by institutions, but I'm afraid to say that having your PoI on leave isn't a plus in your camp.

Thanks for the feedback. In a strange way, this makes me feel just a tad better about not getting an interview. It helps me to rationalize it, anyway, and feel a little less... rejected. It's easy to forget about all of these factors. But really, in a weird way, this makes me feel relieved.

[oseirus]

As far as FAFSAs go, I believe you have a bit of leeway as far as application deadlines go, so I would not personally worry about having one filled out and ready to go right now. Doesn't mean you can't get a jump start on it.

[New England Nat]

But really, in a weird way, this makes me feel relieved.

I think that's a very good way to think about it.

[qbluecheers]

Thanks so much - this is a great thread.

[Curlicue]

Does anybody know if Duke is done?

[sandyvanb]

Thanks Goldie, I just want this whole process to be over and I don't want to repeat it again!

[oseirus]

Does anybody know if Duke is done?

Haven't seen that on the thread thus far

[remenis]

I've been told that unless they're extremely powerful (politically), they literally have no say in the decisions. They have access and can read applicatiosn but don't get to lobby for an applicant. I don;t know anyone who's been able to get in when the chosen POI is on leave during the process.

So yes, I'm sorry to say this but I wouldn't count very much on any application if the POI is on leave this semester. That's one of the purposes of contacting faculty prior to applying- to see who's on leave for the spring semester.

I have to say I don't think this holds true across the board at all schools. While I'm sure it's true in many places, I don't think every single school operates this way. I've been getting a series of very encouraging emails from a POI at one of my schools, hinting that I will be accepted and she is on leave. But this program's website says that students can only be admitted if a "faculty mentor" selects them and lobbies for them, which is a bit different from how many programs choose students, and the professor in question is on maternity leave and thus close by - (not far away in the archives).

I have also gotten a call from another POI at a completely different school who told me that he had recommended my application for admission and that I was very likely to be accepted - he is also on leave this semester.

Obviously, both cases are a bit unsure still, and I have not recieved official acceptances, but I don't think that you can say that a POI being on leave is going to kill your chances. I'll also put out that, it may come down to subfield as well - since my field, medieval history, is relatively small there are a lot fewer applications for a medieval professor to read while on leave than there would be for an americanist or modernist.

[goldielocks]

Hm. That's interesting. Thanks for the feedback and congrats on your prospects!

As for me, I am starting to think it just wasn't meant to be, and that I really want to end up someplace where my advisor is just as excited about my research as I am. So hopefully this fellowship pans out and I can breathe. I should know in about two weeks.

[Kelkel]

Well, I'd like to think we could all just relax because it's the weekend, but it's possibly decisions could come any time.

I hope for the most part we're all able to enjoy these two days!

[superfluousflo]

They traditionally accept a bunch of people early, than have a perspective student weekend inviting the already accepted and the people still waiting on decisions. I can't remember if they sent out a bunch of declines after the weekend but they held their waitlist people in limbo for a very long time taking people off of it in drips. Having watched someone in my masters program go through it that perspective student weekend is the killer.

When I went to the PSW at NYU last year, no one had been accepted. I think it is more common that people are only accepted after this weekend (or, in some cases, at this weekend). And, as has been repeated for years on this forum: if you aren't invited to the PSW, that doesn't mean you won't get in and vice versa.

[oseirus]

Well, I'd like to think we could all just relax because it's the weekend, but it's possibly decisions could come any time.

I hope for the most part we're all able to enjoy these two days!

I am as relaxed as can be right now ... due to the acupuncturist pricking me w/the wrong needle ... I currently cannot feel anything ... mentally however that is a whole different ball of wax

[StrangeLight]

the admissions process works differently at all schools. at some, there's an admissions committee (adcom) that makes all the decisions. these are generally small groups (4-6 professors) who may be randomly selected for that year, or may each represent a regional group in the department (one americanist, one europeanist, etc.). at others, the adcom will whittle down the applicants somewhat and then have the prospective advisor read the files for any potential advisees. the prospective advisor then whittles down that batch, and they all go back to the adcom for final decisions (that's how it works at my school, but we're bizarrely egalitarian about things). at other places, the entire faculty reads all of the applications and votes on admissions (i know that at cornell, the entire faculty used to read every application. not sure if that still holds 3+ years later).

so... as detailed as any one person's explanation of this process is, that doesn't mean this is how it works at every school. some programs will use GRE scores to cut out half of the applicants right away. others will throw out GRE scores and not even consider them. it all differs.

regarding the nightmare that is NYU, let me add: it's not that they leave people on the waitlist hanging. they leave the outright rejections hanging too. if you apply to NYU and you're rejected, you will not hear about it until april 10. but, judging previous cycles, you will note that while much of the late news on NYU is negative (rejections, unfunded MAs in the draper interdisciplinary program), there's always a few people who get admitted in late april. if NYU is where you really want to be, you will hold out hope until the last minute, praying that you're one of the lucky few to get a late offer of admission. you will hold up accepting offers from other programs, you will delay your happiness over your other admits, all because NYU might possibly still accept you in mid-april.

you cannot call NYU on, say, march 30 and ask outright, "look, i want to get on with my life, so if i'm definitely out of the running, can you just tell me?" they won't. they didn't even email the decisions back when i applied. you had to wait for the snail mail to let you know you're not the one. it's such a huge mess of a bureaucracy there that if some part of your application is missing, the history department probably won't even know it because the application won't make it out of the graduate school of arts and sciences. applying to NYU is, to put it mildly, a clusterfuck.

there are wonderful scholars at NYU. i still read their work and fall in love with every page. and who wouldn't want to live in new york? but holy hell, dealing with the graduate school of arts and sciences there is a nightmare. it's like talking to the borg.

[Curlicue]

I feel ya, doodle! I keep repeating my CV, research and language skills in my head until I feel crazy. Then I worry that I should have applied to more "safety" schools. Then I tell myself that if I don't get into top tier a PhD is not the right route for me... It's a vicious cycle.

[emerald54]

This is my first post and I'm not entirely sure how useful it will be, but I recently met with my POI at Penn who was in my area for a guest lecture. She let me know that final decisions would be made next week. So, heads up, Penn news could be coming soon!

[superfluousflo]

regarding the nightmare that is NYU, let me add: it's not that they leave people on the waitlist hanging. they leave the outright rejections hanging too. if you apply to NYU and you're rejected, you will not hear about it until april 10.

you cannot call NYU on, say, march 30 and ask outright, "look, i want to get on with my life, so if i'm definitely out of the running, can you just tell me?" they won't.

there are wonderful scholars at NYU. i still read their work and fall in love with every page. and who wouldn't want to live in new york?

(first of all, apologies for liberal excerpting of Strangelight's post.)

A couple of thoughts: I got a rejection email on March 8, about two weeks after the acceptances were sent out. Thanks to having made contacts over PSW and knowing about acceptances and a few extenuating circumstances, the wait was a huge nuisance but, in my experience, on par with other institutions.

Regarding their willingness to tell you decisions before official emails, Strangelight is spot on. I had very open communication with my POI, but once I didn't recieve an acceptance, I was told to wait.

And, to the last point: That's the reason I'm reapplying.

Edited January 28, 2012 by superfluousflo

[Simple Twist of Fate]

This is my first post and I'm not entirely sure how useful it will be, but I recently met with my POI at Penn who was in my area for a guest lecture. She let me know that final decisions would be made next week. So, heads up, Penn news could be coming soon!

Welcome, and thanks very much for the information. Along with the Princeton information post above, it looks like I might get most of my near-certain-rejections out of the way early

Incidentally, everyone's posts about communication with POIs is concerning me, as I haven't been in contact with my POIs for some time now. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.

[Kelkel]

Welcome, and thanks very much for the information. Along with the Princeton information post above, it looks like I might get most of my near-certain-rejections out of the way early

Incidentally, everyone's posts about communication with POIs is concerning me, as I haven't been in contact with my POIs for some time now. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.

Don't worry I didn't communicate with them prior to applications. It worries me from time to time, but I try not to think about it. My application spoke pretty well to who I am.

[superfluousflo]

Incidentally, everyone's posts about communication with POIs is concerning me, as I haven't been in contact with my POIs for some time now. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.

Conventional Wisdom has it that communicating with POIs between application submission and decision isn't necessary or, potentially, even desirable. That is, unless your POI has invited you to continue the correspondence during that period, or contacts you first.

[remenis]

Since I posted about correspondence I'll clarify mine: I contacted some POIs before my applications and haven't heard anything from any of them since (except one who was just alerting me to a missing peice of my application), but in the last month I've heard from several POIs who I had not contacted and who all initiated the correspondence.

This is pretty much in keeping with what superfluousflo is talking about.

Edited January 28, 2012 by remenis

[Safferz]

Don't worry I didn't communicate with them prior to applications. It worries me from time to time, but I try not to think about it. My application spoke pretty well to who I am.

As it should! I think exchanging emails can be helpful to determine whether a professor is taking on new students, but it has little bearing on actual admissions decisions. I got a Yale interview without any prior communication with the professor (he ignored my email in September ).

[oseirus]

Well now I feel rude because I barely communicated with any of the POIs during the whole process. Well time to get my schmooze on!

[Loimographia]

As it should! I think exchanging emails can be helpful to determine whether a professor is taking on new students, but it has little bearing on actual admissions decisions. I got a Yale interview without any prior communication with the professor (he ignored my email in September ).

I didn't contact ahead of time either, and I'm really grateful for your reassurance. The forums keep posting "oh well if this professor contacts you and gushes about you, they'll really fight for your admittance, so you *have* to contact people ahead of time!" (I'm probably exaggerating here, that's just how it feels). Obviously I'm biased, but I feel it would be a little unfair if a part of the application that's not actually required in any sense should have serious bearing on admissions. Anything that's "optional" that would greatly increase your chance of admissions isn't really only optional, then, and to not out and out say "this is required" then disadvantages applicants who take the term literally. That's like saying "breathing is optional, but will greatly increase your chances of survival."

That said, I still wish I had contacted my professors, to see whether they considered my interests in line with theirs (more than reading their work can tell me, at least) and, as you say, to see if they're taking on students. I found out just a little too late that my POI at UPenn isn't taking any students with my concentration for the foreseeable future due to tenure issues. Now I'm just waiting on the rejection letter

[TMP]

Ugh, NYU. I did manage to hear from them in one way or the other by the end of March in the two times I applied there. The professors know what a huge bureaucracy the university/grauate school is and don't like it other. So they're understanding when it comes to the applications and admissions process. Like Strangelight, I still love and read my favorite NYU professors' works but meh, with my research interests, I have to be in New York so I will be there in any way.

Re: my point about POIs on leave. Maybe I was just damn unlucky in my selections of schools that apparently don't care much for faculty on sabbaticals.

Re: Contacting. I think most people were talking about contacting prior to submissions of applications. But if you've been fortunate to meet your POIs during a guest lecture or a conference during admissions process, it's certainly what you make of the interaction if the POI is open to a conversation. I've been able to have hour-long meetings with them and they were really fun and relaxing. So don't sweat it if you've heard nothing but silence since the fall.

[superfluousflo]

Several years ago, I applied to a school without contacting anyone. Then, after getting rejected, I contacted the prof with whom I would have naturally worked. In her response, among other things, she noted that having not contacted her kept me from realizing that she would be on leave and thus not taking students. She indicated that her presence on campus would have aided my application but since she was away, my application was adrift.

This taught me to contact people before hand. But, only to make sure they were taking students and interested in the broad strokes of my research topic.

Edited January 28, 2012 by superfluousflo