Linguistics 2009!

[capitol_L]

Edit: Did Barbara say anything about how many they were expecting to admit from those invited to the interview?

I didn't ask; I thought I was already being pretty audacious by asking how many people would be there (though that information will be much more readily available at the event than will possible admissions decisions). I would love to have found out, though. My understanding is that the decisions are ultimately up to each individual professor, and none will take more than two, while some will take none at all. Thirteen sounds like a very high admit number for such a small department, so I'm not letting my hopes get too far up there.

[paigemont]

That's debatable - for the kind of phonology I'm interested in, MIT is on the cutting edge. In fact, I didn't even apply to UMass.

And my real ignorance of phonology reveals itself. Or my biases. I'm not sure which.

[dutchie]

So Yale has started sending out results. I got rejected :-( I had gone there a little while back and I met Lawrence Horn, Ashwini Deo, and Zoltan Szabo. Dr. Horn was concerned about my exceptionally strong background in semantics and pragmatics but nearly nonexistent background in other linguistic topics (phonetics, psycholing, historical ling, etc.) ... and said that it was a gamble for me to go into an eclectic linguistics department (since I might not like some topics). So I am guessing that that is why I was rejected. Although Zoltan Szabo from the philosophy department and I had a fantastic conversation, and he seemed to really want a student to help teach logic classes. I guess my application to schools that have a stronger concentration is semantics could work out better. I really really really hope that people decline Northwestern so that I can go there :wink: It's one of my top choices and I love cold weather!

Oh well, I'm disappointed about Yale, but no point dwelling on it. I'm not sure if they have sent out acceptances yet, but at least they've started sending out a few results. Also, the letter said that they got 9500 applications .. that sounds a little excessive to me ... ?

[psycholinguist]

Ooh, we got it! * stretches out lazily * Good to have some of our own space.

It's great to finally see a forum for Linguistics. Kudos to you (not sure who it is...psycholinguist? phonologist? someone else? sorry... )!

Heh, that was Phonologist. He and I just kind of look alike on this forum. * grins *

Anyway, hey guys. So I'm a college senior in the middle of nowhere in the Northeast, majoring in linguistics, minoring in cognitive science and music. As you may be able to tell, I'm interested in psycholinguistics, but I also picked the name to sort of capture the fact that I'm really interested in several subfields on both sides of the linguistics/psychology divide. (Just don't ask me whether I'm on the Chomskyists' side or not. I prefer to remain publicly neutral on that topic. * laughs *) Oh, and because it's homophonous with 'psycho linguist', of course.

Specific interests:

[psycholinguist]

So Yale has started sending out results. I got rejected :-( I had gone there a little while back and I met Lawrence Horn, Ashwini Deo, and Zoltan Szabo. Dr. Horn was concerned about my exceptionally strong background in semantics and pragmatics but nearly nonexistent background in other linguistic topics (phonetics, psycholing, historical ling, etc.) ... and said that it was a gamble for me to go into an eclectic linguistics department (since I might not like some topics). So I am guessing that that is why I was rejected. Although Zoltan Szabo from the philosophy department and I had a fantastic conversation, and he seemed to really want a student to help teach logic classes. I guess my application to schools that have a stronger concentration is semantics could work out better. I really really really hope that people decline Northwestern so that I can go there :wink: It's one of my top choices and I love cold weather!

Oh well, I'm disappointed about Yale, but no point dwelling on it. I'm not sure if they have sent out acceptances yet, but at least they've started sending out a few results. Also, the letter said that they got 9500 applications .. that sounds a little excessive to me ... ?

Sorry to hear about the disappointment! Hopefully other programs will get back to you with better news!

9500 graduate applications to a ling-department in one year? When there are only 20,000 people from around the world on the Linguist List? Yeah, I doubt it. Could they have meant for all of Yale's graduate programs this year?

[deluxe]

Hi I applied to 5 programs and have heard from UChicago (waitlisted because they don't have enough funding).

I do linguistics and pure maths for my BA. I'm interested in Indo-European or Sino-Tibetan linguistics, but I think formal theory is also a fit for me. I have done 2 phone interviews with the remaining 4 schools, but haven't got any news during the past week.

I did more work in maths than linguistics actually, including rewriting and simplifying some proofs for topology. I don't intend to do phonetics, but my undergraduate research is in that field (I'm a computer science person too). My writing sample is about typology.

I'm really worried that I might get no offers from any of the schools I've applied to.

[paigemont]

UCLA finally sent out their rejections. I'm sort of relieved -- the wait was torturous.

Has anyone heard back from Brown at all yet?

[fuzzylogician]

Brown sent me an email late January that went: "We have begun the review process for our graduate program admissions, and based on a review of all applications, have selected a group of students that we would very much like to meet or speak with personally. We were quite impressed with your application, and would like to invite you to visit, or if this is not possible, to arrange for a telephone conversation with relevant faculty members..." and went on to invite me to an Open House on Friday, February 27th. I was just in touch with them a couple of days ago to let them know I won't be attending and got the impression that they were still reviewing some apps, but I'm not exactly sure if for the first time or just those that made the initial cut.

[sais]

Hey paigemont when did you hear from UIUC?

Are you one of the international students who posted a result here?

[paigemont]

Hey paigemont when did you hear from UIUC?

Are you one of the international students who posted a result here?

I heard on Feb 5. I'm not one of those international students. I'm from CA. Are you waiting to hear back from UIUC? Where are you from?

[GenevaLing]

Hi Fellow Hopeful Linguistics PhDs

Sorry to hear about the Yale rejection. I think the 9,500 is the total number of applications to the graduate school. The department posted their numbers for last year when they had 40 applications with 3 accepted, while the graduate school numbers were more like 7,800 or something.

On a different topic, has anyone applied to/ heard anything from McGill?

[dutchie]

Thanks for the "condolences" everyone :-) I actually got a very nice email from Larry Horn a few days ago saying that although the semanticists and philosophers (of logic, language) would have liked to have me, their colleagues were looking for people with a stronger background in other linguistics topics. That's what I thought. So it was a little comforting :-) I'm still going crazy expecting something from UMass. I keep on having dreams about being accepted and then I wake up ... and realize its not a dream. Then the next night I have another dream about being accepted to a different school, and I remember thinking in the dream "oh boy, I'm glad this isn't a dream like yesterday." So frustrating when I wake up and realize that it is a dream too! :shock: Haha ... I hope I'm not the only person losing my mind...

Anyway, I hope the knowhow I have of Yale now is of interest to the other applicants with a broader background! goodluck :-)

[psycholinguist]

On a different topic, has anyone applied to/ heard anything from McGill?

I haven't heard anything yet.

[Phonologist]

Who keeps posting about "theoretical linguistics" on the results page? Sounds like someone's got a case of physics envy.

[Dinali]

Who keeps posting about "theoretical linguistics" on the results page? Sounds like someone's got a case of physics envy.

I think it's something wrong with the drop-down menu, at least in some browsers. When I typed "Linguistics" there were all kinds of choices - French, Spanish, Applied, etc. One of them was something really long that caused the line to wrap. It wrapped over and obscured the plain "Linguistics" choice. Theoretical shouldn't be in the list in the first place, but more people are choosing it who would normally choose plain Linguistics if it weren't obscured.

[Dinali]

Okay, I see responses in the DB to every place I applied except MIT, but I've personally only heard from two. Does anyone know what that means? Am I on unofficial waitlists at Rutgers, UMass, and Chicago? Shunted to a second round of scrutiny? Is this the time to call or write an email reiterating my candidacy? If so, how does that go? I'm seriously in the dark as to this whole process. I think I'm a great applicant, but a terrible applier, if that makes any sense.

Thanks

[nocturne]

I don't know about the "unofficial waitlist" thing, but I do think that you should refrain from calling or emailing them this early in the game. There's a thread on the Chronicle forums about that:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/t ... msg1180955

My assumption is that, as long as you KNOW they have your application (i.e. you have gotten a "received" email, or it is posted to the Web site), then they are still considering your application, and might view a call or email as pushy or impatient. (Unless you've already had an interview that went well, and got to know the faculty a little; I think it would be good to call then). Basically, they know you (and all the other students they haven't gotten back to) are waiting on them. But it's only mid-late February, and I think a lot of us have a lot more waiting to do -- unfortunately.

[fuzzylogician]

I'm planning a trip to the US to check out the schools that have admitted me. I contacted MIT to ask when they might be making their decisions so I'll know if I should include them in my plans. Got this response: "MIT linguistics admission decisions will be made at the end of February (end of next week)."

[Phonologist]

I'm planning a trip to the US to check out the schools that have admitted me. I contacted MIT to ask when they might be making their decisions so I'll know if I should include them in my plans. Got this response: "MIT linguistics admission decisions will be made at the end of February (end of next week)."

Wow, that's considerably later than usual. I thought I was done for since I hadn't heard by now, but now I have kind of a renewed anxiousness.

Congrats on all the acceptances by the way - you're doing very well.

[fuzzylogician]

Yep, I thought I'd post the response b/c I know the wait can drive us all crazy. At least now I know not to expect anything from MIT for at least another week (not that that'll make me stop refreshing my inbox every two minutes..).

Congrats on all the acceptances by the way - you're doing very well.

Thanks! I've been decidedly more successful than I anticipated. When I started this process my advisor, who has known me for 5 years now, told me something along the lines of--"you might not get in at the top places but I am sure some school will take you". Needless to say I was mortified and had a small nervous breakdown. It's a good thing I didn't listen to her...I hope I don't ever lose my sensitivity and say anything like that to a student!

[psycholinguist]

Thanks! I've been decidedly more successful than I anticipated. When I started this process my advisor, who has known me for 5 years now, told me something along the lines of--"you might not get in at the top places but I am sure some school will take you". Needless to say I was mortified and had a small nervous breakdown. It's a good thing I didn't listen to her...I hope I don't ever lose my sensitivity and say anything like that to a student!

Goodness! That's awful!

[barredell]

I am such a latecomer to these boards, man.

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.

So, anyway.

In at: UMass, UCSC, UCLA, UPenn, UBC

Waiting: MIT (like everyone else, it seems...late notification this year, no?) and Rutgers (guess I am rejected if I haven't heard yet? sounds like people know by now).

I'm syntax/semantics, by the by.

[deluxe]

barredell, are you the one who posted acceptance from UPenn a long while ago?

[barredell]

That wasn't me, I don't think. I believe I said I had an interview, but that was on the livejournal whogotin side of things.

[Dinali]

So, anyway.

In at: UMass, UCSC, UCLA, UPenn, UBC

Waiting: MIT (like everyone else, it seems...late notification this year, no?) and Rutgers (guess I am rejected if I haven't heard yet? sounds like people know by now).

I'm syntax/semantics, by the by.

Wow, that is a whole mess of acceptances. I wish I had your problems! Congrats on all those places, and with that line-up to choose from, who cares about Rutgers?