Welcome to the 2012-2013 cycle

[PoliSwede]

On the topic of departments not replying to emails/attempted contact:

I don't pretend to know how much time or money that certain departments have available for the admission's process. I am sure that this varies greatly across schools/programs and is hard to generalize. I do however believe that programs, if they want to maintain a reputation and perhaps even attract students should make sure that they invest time in the process.

In one instance, I attempted to contact a DGS on multiple multiple occasions. I called (once) and emailed (twice) without receiving any type of reply. I ended up not applying to that program even though I was interested. I prioritized other programs in its place.

I can compare that to my experience emailing BFB. It was very friendly and my questions were all answered! It was one of the reasons I decided to apply even though I didn't quite think that I was competitive enough. I also ended up getting rejected, but I am not too upset about it (probably would've been different if I didn't have other admits!).

P.S. I typed this on a phone. Any typos and other errors should be blamed on Samsung.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Lemeard

[Cesare]

Communication skills are so important. I attended a top-10 IR MA program (not going to say which one) and had a terrible advisor. The entire year was hell with him (I only met with him the 3 required times and avoided him like the plague the rest of the time). He had an odd policy when it came to contacting him. For example, I had to e-mail him to get my dissertation title approved, but instead of e-mailing him directly, I had to e-mail his secretary first who then forwarded my e-mail to him and then he would send a response to her, which she would forward to me. That was his policy and I felt bad for his secretary.

I am telling you this for a reason - when you go visit your respective schools ask graduate students how professors interact with them. This is very important at the PhD level. I want an advisor that I can contact directly (I know such a small request). Your dissertation will help you land your first job, so you want someone who actually cares. 

I realise that my case is uncommon, but I don't want anyone to experience what I did at the PhD level. It was already something that no student should have to put up with.  

Edited March 2, 2013 by anxiousphd

[GopherGrad]

BFB,

 

Thanks for the response. Obviously, everyone here thinks your presence is helpful, and a BFD.

[eponine997]

You, sir, are a hero for many reasons, but I'll point out these two: 
 

Last year, I took one case to the Dean...

This year, I'm fighting another case, and with a little bit of luck we might just get a different outcome...

As someone trying to overcome mistakes in that past (read: less than stellar undergrad GPA) that have certainly hindered my applications, it means a lot that there are people out there like you willing to recognize this effort and "fight" on behalf of the applicant.  

 

I'm going to leave the rest of this post alone—unprofessional to comment, really. But this line struck a nerve.

 

You're not "spending money and time in applying" to a school. You are offering to spend a very significant percentage of your life at a school, studying under the people who work there. The fact that you're offering to do that isn't an inconvenience. It's an honor.

 

Also, this ^ .  Well said.  

Should next cycle's applicants read this thread, I predict a surge in number of apps OSU receives

[BFB]

You have literally become one of my favorite people and I don't even know you personally. Damn. I wish I applied to OSU. 

Why are you so nice?

 

 Thanks. Very much.

 

I studied under a guy who knows something about the Prisoner's Dilemma. I find that leading with cooperation and playing tit-for-tat, as simple as it sounds, is a really, really good idea.

 

In one instance, I attempted to contact a DGS on multiple multiple occasions. I called (once) and emailed (twice) without receiving any type of reply. I ended up not applying to that program even though I was interested. I prioritized other programs in its place.

I can compare that to my experience emailing BFB. It was very friendly and my questions were all answered! It was one of the reasons I decided to apply even though I didn't quite think that I was competitive enough. I also ended up getting rejected, but I am not too upset about it (probably would've been different if I didn't have other admits!).

 

Damn. I wish my chair read these forums.

 

Thanks, again. I'm sorry it didn't work out with us, but it seems you're doing quite well.

 

BFB,

 

Thanks for the response. Obviously, everyone here thinks your presence is helpful, and a BFD.

 

I hope so. I'm a little nervous at the extent to which the chatter has died down. I really don't want you all to feel at all concerned about reporting acceptances, tracking down rumors, etc. ... like I said, I'm not at all offended that (gasp!) some of you have been applying to other places.

 

You, sir, are a hero for many reasons, but I'll point out these two: 

 

As someone trying to overcome mistakes in that past (read: less than stellar undergrad GPA) that have certainly hindered my applications, it means a lot that there are people out there like you willing to recognize this effort and "fight" on behalf of the applicant.  

 

 

Also, this ^ .  Well said.  

Should next cycle's applicants read this thread, I predict a surge in number of apps OSU receives

 

Thanks, very much. I do hope there are lots of applications!, but honestly, I hope it's because we have a kick-ass program. 

 

As for fighting for applicants: Thank you, but believe me, there's more to it than what I've written. I've got a great committee this year. They're incredibly engaged and active, and when I explained some of the outcomes to them, they were even more outraged than I was. Two of them wrote to me to urge me to petition the Dean, and they wrote a great letter that gave me the ammunition I needed to do it. I've got a chair who backs me up. He even offers to go to meetings and say some really difficult things in my place, since I have to maintain a good working relationship with the same Dean. And I've got an awesome Grad Coordinator who knows the system, has my back all the time, and does a great job of tempering my, um, more intemperate urges into more productive channels.

 

One of the sad things about reading these forums is that you guys underestimate yourselves, pretty consistently. You matter a great deal to a lot of people at a lot of institutions.

[aulait]

I hope so. I'm a little nervous at the extent to which the chatter has died down. I really don't want you all to feel at all concerned about reporting acceptances, tracking down rumors, etc. ... like I said, I'm not at all offended that (gasp!) some of you have been applying to other places.

 

I doubt that can be blamed on you--I think most schools have notified at this point, giving us a great deal less to talk about, at least on this thread. If anything, you've inserted a lot of pleasantness and optimism at a time when many people are feeling disappointed or confused. I think all of us appreciate that! Thank you!

[Jeremyrgs]

I doubt that can be blamed on you--I think most schools have notified at this point, giving us a great deal less to talk about, at least on this thread. If anything, you've inserted a lot of pleasantness and optimism at a time when many people are feeling disappointed or confused. I think all of us appreciate that! Thank you!

 

I agree with everything said here. I think lots of people have become less active because they have a sense of what their next 5-9 years will look like. Also, BFB, I know that personally I have been posting a little less because you have really assuaged some of my frustrations/anxieties by adding a little bit more insight into how complicated the process can be for ad-comms and faculty (I realize that you are speaking on the process for your program exclusively, but now I feel like I can imagine why every program probably has a few strange procedures that they have to work around). I'm really really grateful that you decided to post here and give us all a peak at what some posters have pointed out is an otherwise opaque process to the applicants. Now it feels a little less like waiting for white smoke.

[Jeremyrgs]

That being said, I'm still awaiting any kind of official response (although its probably safe to assume the worst) from Chicago, GWU, Georgetown, UVA, JHU, Boston U, and Brandeis.

[Mnemonics2]

That being said, I'm still awaiting any kind of official response (although its probably safe to assume the worst) from Chicago, GWU, Georgetown, UVA, JHU, Boston U, and Brandeis.

If you haven't heard anything from JHU then you are almost certainly on a soft wait list for admission! Seriously!

[news2yous]

Did Georgetown tell anyone a rough estimate for the rest of the decisions?  Would it be a good idea for one of us to call?

[hopefully2013]

What up Colubmbia?? Why haven't I heard from you?

[goforbroke33]

What up Colubmbia?? Why haven't I heard from you?

 

Same here.  Did you ask to be considered for the MA in the event that you weren't accepted to the PhD program?  I did (thinking "why not?") and am curious whether that has something to do with it.

 

The big question is: are there people out where who asked to be considered for the MA program and have been notified via email of being rejected to the PhD program?  

 

If so, it's possible they may have 1-2 more admits or a soft waitlist.  Optimism is the name of the game, at least as I see it, even if their open house is coming up soon.

[AmericanQuant]

Same here.  Did you ask to be considered for the MA in the event that you weren't accepted to the PhD program?  I did (thinking "why not?") and am curious whether that has something to do with it.

 

The big question is: are there people out where who asked to be considered for the MA program and have been notified via email of being rejected to the PhD program?  

 

If so, it's possible they may have 1-2 more admits or a soft waitlist.  Optimism is the name of the game, at least as I see it, even if their open house is coming up soon.

 

I don't want to bum you out or anything, but I think that Columbia is probably done admitting PhD students, at least until they start pulling people off of the waitlist. Based on correspondence from the department, it sounds like hotel rooms for their admitted student visit, which is only a week and a half away, have already been finalized.

[student90210]

American University, Brandeis next week? 

[irfannooruddin]

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.  

 

 

For what it's worth, my own take on this is that it's always to your advantage for schools to know what other schools you're in. I know of at least two cases where knowing what our "competition" had offered allowed us to "match" the funding offer. Had that information not been shared, those two individuals would have had less attractive packages. 

[irfannooruddin]

Didn't someone post last week saying Princeton had promised to let people know by this Thursday? I really wanted to be done with this being in the limbo business tonight. Please take me Princeton; you will make my decision and probably the rest of my life much easier! 

 

One of my students has been accepted to Princeton, fwiw.

[irfannooruddin]

Wow, based on the results of yesterday, it's looking like I got into 2/14 programs I applied to. I must admit, I was expecting to do better.

 

I understand. It's 17 years since my spring of admission decisions, but it still hurts that I went just 3/15. But 1 is all that you need.

[irfannooruddin]

In at Yale... Speechless!!!

 

Congratulations. 

[PoliSwede]

Woah. OSU faculty infestation! (If you're the real deal)

[BFB]

Woah. OSU faculty infestation! (If you're the real deal)

 

Sure sounds like him. 

[PoliSwede]

Sure sounds like him. 

That is really awesome. I am sure that almost all prospective graduate students like the opportunity to interact with you guys!

[Guest hopefulfool]

Only funny because it is true: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/what-grad-school-is-really-like

[uflkel]

Prof. Nooruddin is great on Twitter, too! I tweeted something about my 3 year old a few months ago, got a reply from @irfan3, and we shared brief kid tales. Good times. 

I'm glad you guys dropped in to offer up words of wisdom. 

[Ahmadou]

Anybody waiting for University of Toronto's PhD results next week?

[certaincertainties]

That is really awesome. I am sure that almost all prospective graduate students like the opportunity to interact with you guys!

 

Definitely agree, and I didn't even apply to OSU! Even though I've done pretty well this cycle, it's really reassuring to hear tales of what goes on behind the scenes. I know for me it takes a lot of the anxious guesswork out of why I didn't get in at a certain school or what I could have done differently, etc. Getting 6 rejections in a row is demoralizing no matter how you slice it, so it's great to hear viewpoints from the other side!