French PhD 2013, anyone?

[Patrick K]

Michelle, I'm just anxious in general about things hah, but I really would love to stay here and pursue a Master 1 and 2 at Lyon. There are just so many options coming out of undergrad and waiting for these responses. 

 

Eh voilà, ça commence avec Columbia, I'm still waiting to hear back from them. 

[wmb]

Michelle, I'm just anxious in general about things hah, but I really would love to stay here and pursue a Master 1 and 2 at Lyon. There are just so many options coming out of undergrad and waiting for these responses. 

 

Eh voilà, ça commence avec Columbia, I'm still waiting to hear back from them. 

T'as plus de sang-froid que moi alors! No, I was half kidding with my despairing message above, but seriously, what a dreadful process. 

[Patrick K]

Hah yes, I just want answers, regardless of what they may be. I know you're kidding, but I have to say I like that "dissiper l'angoisse" line, I have to get those words in my vocabulary! 

[Soleil ت]

Yay, I finally heard something back! I have an informal phone interview next week with a committee member at UF. only downside is they are accepting only masters with the chance to move on to doctorate. I'm so nervous.

[Wj2011]

It seems like a lot of the people who are posting on the results are not participating in this forum thread... 

[Wj2011]

Yay, I finally heard something back! I have an informal phone interview next week with a committee member at UF. only downside is they are accepting only masters with the chance to move on to doctorate. I'm so nervous.

If you do well at the MA, you will be a shoo-in for the doctorate.  Good luck on the interview!  Better phone than Skype... at least you don't have to clean your room and put on your interview clothes.

[donzelle]

Hi everybody, sorry I didn't post when I updated the board but I'm the one who got the Columbia acceptance. I'm afraid I don't have very good news to offer: they had a very big incoming class last year which means that their funds are very limited - possibly enough for 3-4 offers, but maybe even as little as 2.. I really can't say because I was the first person they called (probably because I live in the area) However, I'm not sure I will accept.

I promise to make my decision as early as possible (that is, as soon as I've had the chance to visit all the schools, so end of the month, probably), so whoever's in line after me will have the chance to also scout it out and make an informed decision.

Like I said above, this is proving to be a much more unpleasant and anxiety-ridden process than I ever imagined it would be (then again, I never imagined I'd be worrying about stuff like commutes, inter-university politics, family housing or daycare options...)

[Wj2011]

Donzelle, glad to hear I'm not the only one in the childcare boat.  It gives me nightmares. 

[donzelle]

Donzelle, glad to hear I'm not the only one in the childcare boat.  It gives me nightmares. 

 

Tell me about it! Thankfully it's not yet an immediate concern, at this point, but it's certainly a major factor. I just keep thinking about how thrilled I would've been with any of these offers a few years ago when I was a carefree undergrad with zero attachments and responsibilities. I seriously would've packed up and gone to just about any of them.. now everything's so complicated. being a grown up sucks! (except for when it doesn't, of course!   )

[Wj2011]

Affordability and living conditions were two of my major concerns when selecting programs.  I refuse to take out loans.... we'll see how far that gets me!  

[donzelle]

Affordability and living conditions were two of my major concerns when selecting programs.  I refuse to take out loans.... we'll see how far that gets me!  

 

Argh! I had meant to congratulate you on Indiana! So sorry, I really should probably try to get some sleep.. this week has been a killer. Congratulations on your top choice admit!

[cicada]

Yay, I finally heard something back! I have an informal phone interview next week with a committee member at UF. only downside is they are accepting only masters with the chance to move on to doctorate. I'm so nervous.

 

congrats michelle! hope everything will go as you wish!

 

also, congrats donzelle on the acceptance at Columbia!

[Patrick K]

I echo the same sentiments. Great to hear about the interview, Michelle! Seems like a good step in the right direction.

 

And donzelle, I hope you find a way to make it all work out, because you've clearly been accepted to two of the best programs in the country! Congrats! 

[donzelle]

thank you, Patrick and sandie.

 

here's some news on NYU: I just got a mass email invite to their campus visit event  

the wording of it is... pour le moins interessant! they say that the email is an offer of admission subject to approval from the graduate school.. but also, "possibly" a place on their wait-list?

 

what I'm getting from this is that all the people they are considering probably got the same email and after having visited, will be divided up into admits and waitlists, sort of like the Princeton visit I'm going to next week.

 

that's not the way they did it the previous years, is it?

[Wj2011]

I got the same e-mail as Donzelle.  Not happy about the mention of a wait-list up front, really, but I will take a trip to NYC, thankyouverymuch.  I think everyone is tightening the belt.  

 

Donzelle... Are you going?  NYU has been my "dream" school since undergrad days.  I already know my POI there personally - does exactly what I want to do, been on panels together before.  (The aforementioned kid thing is the kicker for NYU.  Just me and hubs, I'd be gone.  We will definitely be doing a LOT of math if I get accepted... probably a lot of crying, too.)

 

BAH!  Wish this POI were someplace affordable!!!!!!

[donzelle]

Congratulations Wj2011!

I don't think I can go: the visiting days for Yale are exactly the same ones and I've never been there.. On the other hand, I also know some of the faculty at NYU personally from taking a class there recently, so a lot of the visit would be a bit lost on me. I'm not sure what that does to my chances of a real admit offer though: I mean, if they think of it as an interview of sorts, what happens when you don't even show up?? I am quite happy with the offers I got so I wouldn't be devastated, although their faculty is absolutely amazing. One thing that is a bit of a turn off for me, though, is the size of their incoming cohort - it's just so much bigger than any other graduate program and I wonder if that translates to a more competitive atmosphere once you get closer to the job market. 

Their stipend is typically very generous though, so the finances and childcare stuff might not be as terrible as you imagine (also, keep in mind NYU is in the village so living across the river in Hoboken or Jersey City can make it all much more affordable). Good luck!

Edited February 8, 2013 by donzelle

[Wj2011]

Thanks for the encouragement, Donzelle.  I hope you have a good time at Yale without making your ultimate decision that much more difficult.  What an amazing experience!  Even the thought of applying there made me nervous, so I can't imagine the campus visit/interview.

 

(I am considering attending the NYU Open House, but you're right.  What about those candidates who can't make it?  That email made it sound like some kind of Battle Royal.)  

 

I know it's been kinda quiet on the board this week, so I'm hoping someone else has heard something definite today.  Acceptances?  Funding?  

[Patrick K]

Nothing to report on the French front. Hoping more programs get in touch with me next week. That's the same thing I said last week, hah!   I'm going to sneak into a salon de thé and take my mind off of things. 

[wmb]

no news except NYU on my front---it's the day before UCLA's campus visit, so i think i'll probably go to NYU instead (it's closer to Montreal + I'm much more interested in NYU than UCLA)... so maybe some of us will meet in new york at the end of the month!

 

p.s. is it weird to put accepted for NYU? i guess it's not really an acceptance. can't change my signature on this post now.. oh well!

Edited February 9, 2013 by wmb

[Patrick K]

I visited with a few profs at UCLA in September and was impressed, though the fit wasn't right for me. It's a snow day in the French Alps, more time for me to check the emails and forum. Hope the week gets off to a good start, tout le monde! 

[Wj2011]

Had a little drama last night near midnight... got an e-mail from Tulane saying that all my recommendations were missing.  (!!!)  Two were showing up as submitted in the system, so I'm not sure what happened on those.  And then the third had never been submitted at all.  Yikes!  The DGS asked that my recommenders send them as e-mail attachments, so hopefully they all arrived today and I won't be penalized.

 

=sigh=

 

Meanwhile, I was accepted to Oklahoma today, but I have to wait for the hard copy letter for the details of the funding.  I actually had to send the entire application in hard copy, so I'm not surprised.  (I'm so old, it was actually quite therapeutic to print everything off, put it in a big envelope, go down to the post office...)  However, at least there were no glitches about missing components.

[Soleil ت]

Heard back from Indiana today.  POI asked for an interview.  Why won't anybody just accept me?  Why must I interview everywhere? Anyway, exciting Monday.  Hope everybody hears something exciting tomorrow!

[cicada]

Heard back from Indiana today.  POI asked for an interview.  Why won't anybody just accept me?  Why must I interview everywhere? Anyway, exciting Monday.  Hope everybody hears something exciting tomorrow!

 

I also heard back from them yesterday and I'm admitted (French Literature), however I still need to wait for details on funding. I already applied last year, and in the end wasn't offered anything though it clearly said on the letter of acceptance that I had been recommended for an AI position... Learned later that I was on the wait list the whole time without knowing it, so I felt like i had been played - why didn't they tell me I was on it right from the start? Anyways, We'll see what happens this year.

 

I think it's still a very good thing that you're being interviewed! Maybe they interview more in French Linguistics than in French Literature... From my experience, the two programs that asked for an interview accepted me afterwards with funding, so garde espoir! 

 

 

 

Had a little drama last night near midnight... got an e-mail from Tulane saying that all my recommendations were missing.  (!!!)  Two were showing up as submitted in the system, so I'm not sure what happened on those.  And then the third had never been submitted at all.  Yikes!  The DGS asked that my recommenders send them as e-mail attachments, so hopefully they all arrived today and I won't be penalized.

 

=sigh=

 

Meanwhile, I was accepted to Oklahoma today, but I have to wait for the hard copy letter for the details of the funding.  I actually had to send the entire application in hard copy, so I'm not surprised.  (I'm so old, it was actually quite therapeutic to print everything off, put it in a big envelope, go down to the post office...)  However, at least there were no glitches about missing components.

 

Oh Gosh, that sounds like a nightmare indeed... but hopefully you won't be penalized. It's always stressful to deal with LORs because it's that one part of the application you have no real control on and cannot force people to write and submit letters in time one of my recommenders always submitted theirs late, and I felt bad reminding them of deadlines and programs all the time, but if I hadn't done it, I guess they would have just completely forgotten about it...

 

I hope you'll get funding at Oklahoma, but either way, congrats!

Edited February 12, 2013 by cicada

[Wj2011]

Heard back from Indiana today.  POI asked for an interview.  Why won't anybody just accept me?  Why must I interview everywhere? Anyway, exciting Monday.  Hope everybody hears something exciting tomorrow!

Great news!  They should act quickly after the interview.  I really appreciated programs taking the time to interview me.  Bonne chance!

[Soleil ت]

Thanks, all!  I haven't been around much this week.  I've been doing training for work and so I have been pretty busy.  I hope everybody has good luck on their visits and is able to come to a smart and hopefully pain-free decision!  I'm a little nervous about my interview tomorrow for UF because, after reading my SOP that I submitted SOOOO long ago, I realized some of my interests shifted (already?).  Luckily it's not really my top choice for programs, so if they decide not to select me, I won't be devastated.