Welcome to the 2012-2013 cycle

[news2yous]

What about Georgetown?  Are they really done?

[dack]

I'm sure the DGS' and Ad Com members must be impressed by the decorum and general cooperative atmosphere here as opposed to that at PSJR (and must also wonder if grad school is what causes people to change   )

[student90210]

I think they read this forum also to see when other schools ("the competition") release letters, what's a profile of the candidate, etc

[eponine997]

It did, didn't it? Sorry. I meant to lend some perspective, not cut off discussion.

 

I'm not sure what sort of bravery is required, though? I've got tenure, so about the worst I have to fear from all of you is harsh language. If I've earned that, I'd rather know about it, even anonymously, so I can try to set things straight. By outing myself, I'm letting you know that you're dealing with someone who's honest enough to admit that he reads these forums. For your part, you have the opportunity to learn more about the admissions process than you could from your peers, or just get some perspective. Seems like a win-win to me.

Oh, by "bravery" I just meant you left yourself open to be hounded by applicants.  Even if each asks just that one question they've always wanted to anonymously ask a DGS, that can still end up being 300 questions for you.  On page one of this thread there's a link to some advice a professor posted, it is helpful in a general guidance sort of way, but later on that thread people start trying to debate the nuances of it, which probably vary from prof-to-prof and program-to-program.  I just meant you are opening yourself up to that, and it can be a can of warms (for you) as much as it can be clarifying (for us).  That said, the comment was intended to be light-hearted, not by any means, a complaint.  And I do appreciate your willingness to clarify where you can.  

[eponine997]

I was thinking just now, that school that ask which other programs we've applied to on apps can probably match that up pretty easily with signature blocks, assuming we answer that question honestly.  Not meaning to pick on you, so much as just a random thought on why they read it.  

 

Also, I wonder if they facebook stalk us... some employers definitely do this once they've eliminated the bulk of the applicants.  
 

I think they read this forum also to see when other schools ("the competition") release letters, what's a profile of the candidate, etc

[Cesare]

I was thinking just now, that school that ask which other programs we've applied to on apps can probably match that up pretty easily with signature blocks, assuming we answer that question honestly.  Not meaning to pick on you, so much as just a random thought on why they read it.  

 

Also, I wonder if they facebook stalk us... some employers definitely do this once they've eliminated the bulk of the applicants.  

 

I'm fairly sure they facebook stalk us, but if you really want to know if someone is stalking you I suggest opening up an academia.edu account (http://academia.edu/). It is essentially a facebook for nerds, but you get a notification when someone googles you. I found it to be very creepy so I got rid of mine. From my experience, the site is much more popular among UK graduate students.

Not that I've done anything illegal or crazy, but I've also googled searched myself to make sure nothing odd comes up in case potential advisors/employers actually put forth effort. 

[BFB]

I'm sure the DGS' and Ad Com members must be impressed by the decorum and general cooperative atmosphere here....

 

Speaking only for myself, I'm very impressed, actually. Seeing you all congratulate one another on your successes and commiserate on your setbacks is really pretty great.

 

I think they read this forum also to see when other schools ("the competition") release letters, what's a profile of the candidate, etc

 

Mmm, to a degree. It makes sense to try to see what other departments are doing wrong—after the drubbing Princeton received in the Results section for mixing up fonts in their letters, I'll be double-checking anything of mine that goes out!—as well as what they're doing right. But a lot of information that's available here isn't really as useful as people probably think it is. Guessing who's who can be good entertainment for a slow afternoon, and it might give us a little information about which schools we're competing with, but we find out a lot more by simply asking our applicants. Some of you even send updates (which we appreciate).

[BFB]

I was thinking just now, that school that ask which other programs we've applied to on apps can probably match that up pretty easily with signature blocks, assuming we answer that question honestly.  Not meaning to pick on you, so much as just a random thought on why they read it.  

 

Also, I wonder if they facebook stalk us... some employers definitely do this once they've eliminated the bulk of the applicants.  

 

 

Bingo, on the signature blocks. 

 

Some people might Facebook stalk you, I suppose. I don't. Hadn't occurred to me, to be honest. None of my business what you do in your spare time, for one thing, and for another, I really doubt there's much correspondence between personal habits and professional aptitude.

[pingsmile]

Do you guys spend time learning more about a so-so program when you have better choices? I mean, it is also a fit, it just enjoys a lower ranking, I'm wondering if I should invest time in learning more about it just in case more information might change my mind? 

 

[eponine997]

I'm suddenly horrified that all my POIs get notifications when I google their twitter pages (sure I could just get a twitter account and follow them, but that would mean getting a twitter account...).  Technically I have an a.edu account, but have really only used it to access conference papers and such, guess I never paid attention to the google feature.  

 

And yes, I google myself periodically, fortunately there are a lot of shameless self-promoters who share my name but are obviously not me.  I actually had an employer tell me after I got hired, how despite having one of the most unique names in the group, they found absolutely nothing on me.  

Good info, thanks

 but if you really want to know if someone is stalking you I suggest opening up an academia.edu account (http://academia.edu/). It is essentially a facebook for nerds, but you get a notification when someone googles you. 

Not that I've done anything illegal or crazy, but I've also googled searched myself to make sure nothing odd comes up in case potential advisors/employers actually put forth effort. 

[eponine997]

Bingo, on the signature blocks. 

YES!  

 

Though I must say, that is an impressive amount of effort.  There was some discussion of this earlier in the thread (maybe you saw it) on exactly how much effort it would take to link an applicant to a post/ID or a post to an applicant.  

[runner12]

Haha I just deleted my signature block

[justanotherperson]

Those in at NYU, any idea if the process is still ongoing? Heard zilch from the dept, though I'm assuming the worst anyhow.

[BFB]

I must say, that is an impressive amount of effort.  There was some discussion of this earlier in the thread (maybe you saw it) on exactly how much effort it would take to link an applicant to a post/ID or a post to an applicant.  

 

It can be, though some random piece of information (say, subfield) narrows things down pretty quickly, and GradCafé has this handy option that strings together your posts on a single page for anyone to read.

 

Haha I just deleted my signature block

 

Not on my account, I hope.

 

I'm really not sure what benefit you get from hiding admissions info from us—or, conversely, what benefit we get from hiding much of anything from you. I'm hardly shocked, or wounded, to discover that you've been applying to other schools, and if you get into one that's a better fit for your interests than we are, it's not useful for either of us to pretend otherwise.

[Jeremyrgs]

I must admit, I've always been confused about the concerns with anonymity on this site. When I signed up, I instinctively used my real name and didn't think twice. I don't think I've done anything to represent myself poorly, aside from inattention to grammar and occasional signs of desperation.

[eponine997]

Do you guys spend time learning more about a so-so program when you have better choices? I mean, it is also a fit, it just enjoys a lower ranking, I'm wondering if I should invest time in learning more about it just in case more information might change my mind? 

 

Think about your end game: what kind of job can you/will you get when you finish (or do life circumstance making completing the program at one school a higher probability than completing it at another - i've talked to a few people dealing with this, it usually relates to family, relationships, etc.).  Can the "so-so program" reliably place you (assuming that's your goal)?  Will you get sufficient support from the faculty who share your interest at the "better choice?"  If you have one "better" option and one "so-so" option, visit both if you can, talk to faculty, current students, etc. - and then at least you have a frame of comparison.  But only if I had just two choices.  If I got accepted to several "better" options, I would probably choose from among those.  If it were just two,  personally, I would be inclined to lean toward the better option because, sadly, pedigree often also means a higher caliber of classmate (which corresponds to quality of seminars, coauthoring opportunities etc.)  I chose my schools based on fit (where I could put together a committee) from across the rankings with the intention of taking the best ranked among whatever offers, but I know others chose based on where they thought they were likely to be accepted and are selecting the best fit from among their offers, and others who used some other method.  But here we go into that fit v. pedigree debate again...  A page or two ago BFB (whom as we've been discussing is a DGS) responded to someone else's comment in this debate, it is certainly relevant to your dilemma.  

 

Although something to be said about fit, make sure it is more than just that one scholarly crush you dream of working with.  From my MA program I know that choosing based on one advisor and an alternate can be torturous if they both move or take leave the year you are writing your thesis.  

[eponine997]

It can be, though some random piece of information (say, subfield) narrows things down pretty quickly, and GradCafé has this handy option that strings together your posts on a single page for anyone to read.

 

I'm really not sure what benefit you get from hiding admissions info from us—or, conversely, what benefit we get from hiding much of anything from you. I'm hardly shocked, or wounded, to discover that you've been applying to other schools, and if you get into one that's a better fit for your interests than we are, it's not useful for either of us to pretend otherwise.

To your first point, yep, figured that one out too late  Oh well, I didn't say anything that wasn't in my admissions file, it would just make it incredibly obvious who I am if you had that admission file in front of you.  And one POI probably could if he remembered me and cared enough to look, both of which seemed very unlikely.  

 

To your second point, specifically that there is no benefit in you hiding things from us... I wish more DGSs took this attitude.  Not to single you out as the scapegoat for all DGSs, but I think we have all been wondering about why some schools are, as it seems, needlessly opaque about the admissions process.  Perhaps there is a reason for this.  But a program will send out offer notifications while other applicants wait, some of whom may be part of a waitlist, others the school already knows they are going to reject - why not let the surely rejected applicants know right away (or as soon as they are no longer being considered)?  If people know where they stand, doesn't that mean fewer phone calls and emails to you asking if you are done with acceptance notifications?  

 

Those aren't really questions directed at you so much as just general ranting.  

Actually looking at the results board, it looks like you are fairly humane (offers and rejection notices the same week).  So, I'll credit OSU's notification practices to kindness on your part   

[TakeMyCoffeeBlack]

MAGES at Georgetown a go. Waiting to hear from their Ph.D. Government admissions still though.

[BFB]

To your first point, yep, figured that one out too late  Oh well, I didn't say anything that wasn't in my admissions file, it would just make it incredibly obvious who I am if you had that admission file in front of you.  And one POI probably could if he remembered me and cared enough to look, both of which seemed very unlikely.  

 

To your second point, specifically that there is no benefit in you hiding things from us... I wish more DGSs took this attitude.  Not to single you out as the scapegoat for all DGSs, but I think we have all been wondering about why some schools are, as it seems, needlessly opaque about the admissions process.  Perhaps there is a reason for this.  But a program will send out offer notifications while other applicants wait, some of whom may be part of a waitlist, others the school already knows they are going to reject - why not let the surely rejected applicants know right away (or as soon as they are no longer being considered)?  If people know where they stand, doesn't that mean fewer phone calls and emails to you asking if you are done with acceptance notifications?  

 

Those aren't really questions directed at you so much as just general ranting.  

Actually looking at the results board, it looks like you are fairly humane (offers and rejection notices the same week).  So, I'll credit OSU's notification practices to kindness on your part   

 

The short answer is that, in a lot of Universities, the DGS has less control over outcomes than you might think. Some Departments get a pot of money from their Graduate Schools and can decide on admission and allocation simultaneously. Others, like ours, can make decisions about admissions but only have a limited ability to control funding allocations. In our case, we enter every one of our applicants to an internal, Graduate School-wide fellowship competition, and we have precisely zero control over who wins how much. We have a bit of funding to even out the gaps, but surprisingly little. When we allocate the funding that we have, we have to make sure that we haven't overlooked one of the Graduate School's rules for how it can be allocated and to whom.

 

The finer points are really, really tedious. But the upshot is that what you see as an intentional decision to notify some people at one time and other people at another time may or may not be intentional. In my experience, it's more likely to be the result of a tangled bureaucracy, or of overworked people who can only devote sporadic attention to finalizing admissions decisions, or both.

 

Unfortunately, that cuts both ways: I can't really take credit for being humane, since the Graduate School sends out the admissions letters and the funding letters in two simultaneous waves. 

[eponine997]

The finer points are really, really tedious. But the upshot is that what you see as an intentional decision to notify some people at one time and other people at another time may or may not be intentional. In my experience, it's more likely to be the result of a tangled bureaucracy, or of overworked people who can only devote sporadic attention to finalizing admissions decisions, or both.

Sadly, that is unsurprising and makes a lot of sense.  I suppose if anything my response would be that it should be intentional, whether or not it is - but I know that you, nor I, nor any one person is likely to be able to change that (in a specific program or overall).  But information on how the system actually works is helpful, I wish more schools provided it.  I believe somewhere on grad cafe there's a thread titled something like "If you were the Chief Admissions Officer..." - post at your own risk.

Unfortunately, that cuts both ways: I can't really take credit for being humane, since the Graduate School sends out the admissions letters and the funding letters in two simultaneous waves. 

Regardless of what you can actually take credit for in this case, you are very kind.  Thanks for responding.  

[student90210]

Can anyone claim the UCSB?

[news2yous]

what's up with Georgetown?

 

The past few pages have been full of people asking about it, with no answers.

 

Okay, this is just ridiculous now.

 

Is this real life?  Did only three people on gradcafe ever hear back at all from Georgetown?  And no one else goes there or knows anything about their admissions schedule to even comment on the situation?  What?

[CGMJ]

Okay, this is just ridiculous now.

 

Is this real life?  Did only three people on gradcafe ever hear back at all from Georgetown?  And no one else goes there or knows anything about their admissions schedule to even comment on the situation?  What?

 

Could be fake, but if they're real this is just the first few offers, with many more likely to come (though perhaps not with funding).

[USCoregonian]

Claiming a GWU admit! My first admittance. Thought for sure I was going to get shut out. On the wait list for funding. Very excited

[raptureonfire]

Claiming a GWU admit! My first admittance. Thought for sure I was going to get shut out. On the wait list for funding. Very excited

Congrats!