Linguistics 2009!

[psycholinguist]

I've done a good deal better than I thought I would, as well! It's a good problem to have, but now too much of my time is taken up making pro/con lists and ranking constraints (...) on missing classes vs. making actual arranged visit days vs. not getting exhausted from traveling vs. getting work done, etc. I'm looking forward to meeting/re-meeting faculty and grad students, though, and getting everything sorted....and happy to almost have the whole process done with.

Me too. I didn't get around to withdrawing my applications to several places, and I should have because now I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.

The whole 'linguistics or psychology?' thing is also an omnipresent overhead question-mark.

[barredell]

It's also weird to think that any doors that are closed to me at this point are ones that I've closed myself.

This is a bad process for the semi-sentimental so I'm not going to think about that anymore! (Can you tell that I'm about to send another email of "thank you, but..."?)

[fuzzylogician]

I actually felt much better I after I sent those 'no thanks' emails to the 3 departments I knew I wouldn't go to. Sure, they're options I don't have anymore, but they're not ones I was going to take advantage of anyway. I got very positive responses from those departments, plus the knowledge that I'm not keeping anybody from being offered admissions who will actually go.

Plus, it shortens my pro/con list, which is a good thing 8)

[deluxe]

fuzzylogician have you heard from UPenn after the interview?

[fuzzylogician]

Sort of, I contacted UPenn a few days after the interview to let them know I had better offers, so 'no thanks'. In fact, all of the schools I had interviews with are ones I have already decided not to attend, so I've contacted them all to rescind my application (so I don't really know if/when they're making their decisions).

[barredell]

UPenn already made the first round of decisions (for the visit day), if that helps.

[barredell]

Also, it looks like Rutgers is sending out news today by email, as well

[Dinali]

Also, it looks like Rutgers is sending out news today by email, as well

Congrats! (assuming your news is good)

No emails here yet, and online still says no decision : (

[barredell]

Thanks!

Actually, I don't trust the website so much. My status there still says 'No Decision' and says that they never got my personal statement (and they did). The UMass website says they never got 2/3 of my rec letters (and they did) or most of the rest of my application. The websites seem like trouble, generally speaking.

[Dinali]

Thanks!

Actually, I don't trust the website so much. My status there still says 'No Decision' and says that they never got my personal statement (and they did). The UMass website says they never got 2/3 of my rec letters (and they did) or most of the rest of my application. The websites seem like trouble, generally speaking.

Totally. I wish all the schools would get together and agree on some kind of universal application/notification portal. It seems odd that we're all endeavoring to join the ranks of the pioneers in our respective fields yet the system for getting there has changed little in the last five centuries.

[lingapplicant]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one frantically checking my Rutgers and UMass statuses constantly!! I hope those are right that are saying there may still be some hope for us that are seeing "No decision" and "Pending"!

[Dinali]

I have a feeling there'll be a round of announcement sent out as it approaches 5pm in the various time zones. I think they like to send them at the end of the day Friday then skedaddle so they don't have to deal with the inevitable flood of emails and calls until Monday, when everyone has calmed down a bit. At least that would be my reasoning if I were tasked with sending out rejections.

[lingapplicant]

Hmm... it's past 5pm here on the east coast and I don't see anything yet. I guess it's going to be another sweaty-palms weekend ahead for me....

[Dinali]

Hmm... it's past 5pm here on the east coast and I don't see anything yet. I guess it's going to be another sweaty-palms weekend ahead for me....

Ah well. So much for predictions!

[liszt85]

Hey guys, I'm an international student (Indian) with an undergraduate background in Physics. I plan to shift fields to Linguistics or Psychology (Language and Music Cognition, Parallels between the two, etc). I got accepted to the Northwestern Linguistics graduate program which was one of my top preferences. Waiting to hear from OSU (Psychology) who rejected me at first instance but some profs have got together and have nominated me for some other funds.. Also got a positive mail from a professor at McMAster Psychology dept (Canada). Eagerly awaiting Berkeley, Minnesota and Rochester Psychology depts. If I get accepted to one of those, there might be a *slight* possibility that I might reject NU (and dutchie can capitalize on that),.. Great forum here, got to know about this pretty late or I would have shared my agony during the waiting process here with fellow victims of the procedure :roll:

[Dinali]

Well they finally updated [some of] my information on the UMass website. I don't know if that's someone actually looking at the application or if it's just some poor office worker slogging through a pile of mail. Probably the latter. Bear in mind that I mailed a package to them on Dec 13, so they are WAY behind.

There's also a strongly worded note on the UChicago site explaining that they won't do anything by email or phone and that letters haven't been mailed yet and won't be until next week, so please please PLEASE stop calling until March 16 at the earliest. I wonder if the entries currently listed in the results DB are informal notifications or what.

No other change in status anywhere. Peace frog all

[lingapplicant]

Yes, similarly my UMass letters of recommendation didn't show up on my status page until last week. That was also when I noticed for the first time change that it said "As of February 12th, your status is Pending."

Regarding University of Chicago, I only got a decision (rejection) from them after emailing the department chair myself a couple weeks ago. So it seems like they already gave out their acceptances.

[Dinali]

Yes, similarly my UMass letters of recommendation didn't show up on my status page until last week. That was also when I noticed for the first time change that it said "As of February 12th, your status is Pending."

Regarding University of Chicago, I only got a decision (rejection) from them after emailing the department chair myself a couple weeks ago. So it seems like they already gave out their acceptances.

Ugh. I kind of figured that. One of the DB entries (maybe yours?) mentions that they were only able to hand out 3 slots. That would be a lot of pressure to perform as a full third of the department for your year.

[paigemont]

Ugh. I kind of figured that. One of the DB entries (maybe yours?) mentions that they were only able to hand out 3 slots. That would be a lot of pressure to perform as a full third of the department for your year.

Holy cow. I'm glad I didn't bother applying there. It'd be interesting to see the statistics for more of these schools. I know that my Stanford rejection letter said they had 5 slots, but I took that to be about average or just below average. 3 is just plain ridiculous.

[fuzzylogician]

Holy cow. I'm glad I didn't bother applying there. It'd be interesting to see the statistics for more of these schools. I know that my Stanford rejection letter said they had 5 slots, but I took that to be about average or just below average. 3 is just plain ridiculous.

Rutgers wrote that their expected class size is 4, for what it's worth.

[barredell]

The idea of the 3 person cohort, as Chicago said to me, was that the 3 people would just integrate faster with the second- and third-year students...usually they would be looking for 6. It does sound a little intense (exciting, though), but like fuzzylogician said, Rutgers is looking for a cohort of 4 as well (UCSC and UMass didn't say in their emails what the expected size will be, but both departments are on the small size so I would be surprised if it were much larger than the others).

[psycholinguist]

Yikes.

[liszt85]

Any idea about the entering class strength at Northwestern? I saw at least one other person in here who's got accepted by NU.

[anyli_t]

Any idea about the entering class strength at Northwestern? I saw at least one other person in here who's got accepted by NU.

I was visiting there this past weekend, along with 9 other prospectives (though it sounds like not everybody accepted was there?) I got the impression that the department was shooting for an incoming class of 5, as that's what a few of the cohorts were according to some of the grad students I met. (Two years - the current 2nd and 3rd year class there - only had one student matriculate each year, actually, so maybe they're trying to boost the number a little bit?) Their website also says that they usually have an entering class of 4-6 students.

Anyway, that's vague and not terribly well-informed, but it's my best guess.

[liszt85]

I was visiting there this past weekend, along with 9 other prospectives (though it sounds like not everybody accepted was there?) I got the impression that the department was shooting for an incoming class of 5, as that's what a few of the cohorts were according to some of the grad students I met. (Two years - the current 2nd and 3rd year class there - only had one student matriculate each year, actually, so maybe they're trying to boost the number a little bit?) Their website also says that they usually have an entering class of 4-6 students.

Anyway, that's vague and not terribly well-informed, but it's my best guess.

I was made an official offer and I have to let them know by April 15th. They told me that they would offer this to the next in the waiting list if I choose to decline. So I'm guessing this is the normal procedure for the international students that they admit since we cannot be expected to visit NU. I have also filled in my participant decision form for the Summer Institute, an orientation program for incoming international graduate students. I really think I'd like the linguistics program at Northwestern. They have no candidacy exams and qualifying papers (QPs) instead which is a concept I'm quite comfortable with and one which I think makes much more sense than conventional comprehensive exams. What more could you tell me about the place from the visit? I'd love to know how you perceived the place, the atmosphere, etc and what you thought about the faculty from interacting with them. I would be working predominantly with Janet Pierrehumbert if I decide to accept the offer..