karent Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Exactly. Not sure why I had to look at these statistics either. I really think I'll hear from Indiana this week or next week. So... in a matter of days, my future will be decided. I can't handle it!
maceochi Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Well, my motto is to remember the bigger picture! Especially if we're accepted. And if not - there are a lot of other options.
karent Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 I don't want to think about other options yet!
renwod90 Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Hi Ian: I applied to UChicago too and haven't heard anything yet. Do you know (or does anyone know) if they usually interview applicants? Thanks for the stats Karent. I had searched for them before but could never find anything.
maceochi Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Hi Renwod90. I don't think they do. At least, their website doesn't say they do. But you knew that already. I don't know anyone who's applied there, so I've no idea. Chicago's site says decisions will be made "during the first half of March" - I wonder how strict they are about this. Do other schools keep to the timeframes they post on their websites?
Eidda Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 just had my interview! I think it went okay. I was so nervous.
mambeu Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 just had my interview! I think it went okay. I was so nervous. You must have interviewed immediately after me! I was very happy that mine went well. I always worry that I'm at a disadvantage because I haven't been to Russia, or spent time in a Russian-speaking area, but I think I did fine anyway. Eidda 1
maceochi Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 You must have interviewed immediately after me! I was very happy that mine went well. I always worry that I'm at a disadvantage because I haven't been to Russia, or spent time in a Russian-speaking area, but I think I did fine anyway. Is an interview normal procedure for all doctoral programmes?
mambeu Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Is an interview normal procedure for all doctoral programmes? I don't believe so. I've been accepted to two schools so far and neither interviewed me.
maceochi Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Apart from Kansas, which I know interviewed you by phone, did any of the schools you applied to measure your Russian skills in some way other than your undergrad results? Some written task, for example? Chicago didn't ask for anything extra. I hope my Russian skills came across in my letters of recommendation!
mambeu Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 Apart from Kansas, which I know interviewed you by phone, did any of the schools you applied to measure your Russian skills in some way other than your undergrad results? Some written task, for example? Chicago didn't ask for anything extra. I hope my Russian skills came across in my letters of recommendation! The University of Washington asked me to take a written Russian proficiency exam (four pages, two hours). One of my current professors proctored it and mailed it back. Two of my letter-writers are Russian professors, and like you I trust them to convey my abilities in the language.
maceochi Posted February 19, 2013 Posted February 19, 2013 The University of Washington asked me to take a written Russian proficiency exam (four pages, two hours). One of my current professors proctored it and mailed it back. Two of my letter-writers are Russian professors, and like you I trust them to convey my abilities in the language. Interesting.
maceochi Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 Are all you of you intending on studying literature, linguistics, or something interdisciplinary, in the places you've applied to?
mambeu Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 I'm planning on the Slavic Linguistics track. My main interest is in functional-typological approaches to Slavic aspect, but I'm also interested in bilingualism, grammatical semantics, and language acquisition. What about you, maceochi? What areas of Slavic studies are you most interested in?
maceochi Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Well, as I said above, I have no formal linguistics background whatsoever. I studied both Russian and French at undergrad and have lived for a total of three years in Russia, so my Russian knowledge is more practical. Nonetheless, if Chicago accepts me I'll take the linguistics track. I don't know if taking up linguistics at this stage is realistic, but I want to try. I'm interested in morphology, especially the morphological changes Russian has undergone as a result of social and political events - the October Revolution and the fall of the Soviet Union, for example. In a broader sense I'm interested in the interactions of state and language - official languages, language rights and language policies (especially for minority languages), for example, the Russian language in the Ukraine and Latvia (and the post-Soviet space in general). What drives me most of all is my ambition to become a teacher of Russian, but alongside that I want to learn something (well, more than just 'something'!) about linguistics as a science.
Ablukhov Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 hey maceochi, to answer your question from a while back, people generally apply to several programs because the factors determining why a program chooses one qualified applicant over another in a given year can be pretty unpredictable from the prospective student's stand point. But, of course, it only takes one acceptance!
maceochi Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Yes, of course. Understandable. I was too cheap and only wanted to spend $65 on one application! But, seriously, I only really liked Chicago, from what I read online. Who's your favourite Russian novellist/poet/short story writer and why?
Ablukhov Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 Seriously! The investment in applications in no joke! I'm an Andrei Bely fan, as you might have guessed.
maceochi Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Ah, that was just a bit of doctoral applications humour for you there to lighten the mood of nail-biting suspense! I've never read any Bely, I'm sorry to say. This is the year I tick some big names off the Russian reading list, so I will get round to him eventually. Another question: is there any time of day that universities usually send their notifications about decisions? My time zone is GMT+2, or Central+8, so I'd like to know when there's no point in waiting for a certain email to arrive.
Ablukhov Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 Ah, that was just a bit of doctoral applications humour for you there to lighten the mood of nail-biting suspense! I've never read any Bely, I'm sorry to say. This is the year I tick some big names off the Russian reading list, so I will get round to him eventually. Another question: is there any time of day that universities usually send their notifications about decisions? My time zone is GMT+2, or Central+8, so I'd like to know when there's no point in waiting for a certain email to arrive. No way to tell... and no respite for us...
Eidda Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 It's nerve-racking waiting to hear results. I still haven't heard from anymore schools, but I did receive my funding offer from my acceptance; it was very generous. Congrats on whoever got into Harvard.
maceochi Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 Nerve-wracking it sure is! Is Indiana your first choice? What will you do if you get another offer?
Eidda Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 I'm not sure yet but I have until April 15th to accept my offer.
Eidda Posted February 27, 2013 Posted February 27, 2013 Just got accepted into Washington's MA program!
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