Patrick K Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Thanks! It just feels good to have an offer at this point. There's a chance that I can get a good amount of it paid for, so we'll see how it all works out soon enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmb Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Congrats! It's a great program, and a number of current PhD students I met at NYU had gone that route---so not a bad option at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Good to know, thanks! I am very interested, just waiting for the rest of the news to come in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I'm waitlisted at Brown! I have no idea of what it means though, I don't know if it's (relatively) good or (slightly) bad news. I don't know how likely it is that I will be accepted eventually. Does anyone have any experience about that? Apart from that, still no news from the other unis, which starts to be a bit frustrating really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Congrats, Nicko! It's definitely not a bad thing since you still have chances to get in... I feel you, I'm also waitlisted at Duke, they notified me more than a month ago, and I haven't heard from them since then. I'm thinking about emailing them to know where they're at and say that I'm still interested... I'm also guessing that I'm on the waitlist at IU regarding funding... I find it harder to deal with the waiting as April 15th is getting closer. And I'll be traveling for more than 2 weeks at the end of the month, so I guess I'll have to make that decision from abroad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Good luck, Nicko! It's definitely good that you're under consideration! I just learned of my Columbia rejection from a status check email. Can't say that I'm too shocked about it, and now my decision is down to potential offers from PSU or Minnesota, or I'm packing my bags and going to NYU's MA. I will live with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks! Cicada, you should probably email them, I actually learnt that I was waitlisted at Brown by emailing them, they just forgot to tell me. Patrick K, what do you mean by 'status check email'? Did you email Columbia to ask them about your application? Sorry to hear that anyway. But at least you have NYU as a back up plan, which is not bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Yes, I'm talking to NYU today about funding, so that is good. I received the typical "Faculty Committee has issued a decision on your application" email, telling me to log on and check my status. I did not email Columbia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks! Cicada, you should probably email them, I actually learnt that I was waitlisted at Brown by emailing them, they just forgot to tell me. Yeah, I guess that's what I'll do... But they're probably on spring break so I'm not sure I'll get a quick response. As for you, that's quite surprising to me to read that Brown "forgot" to tell you that you were on the waitlist... Did they say they were going to send out notifications soon, or rather something along the lines of "whoops, we forgot to tell you"? If it truly is the latter, it doesn't sound too considerate Yes, I'm talking to NYU today about funding, so that is good. I received the typical "Faculty Committee has issued a decision on your application" email, telling me to log on and check my status. I did not email Columbia. Same here. Not a big surprise, though... Good luck with NYU. Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 As for you, that's quite surprising to me to read that Brown "forgot" to tell you that you were on the waitlist... Did they say they were going to send out notifications soon, or rather something along the lines of "whoops, we forgot to tell you"? If it truly is the latter, it doesn't sound too considerate I emailed a professor to make sure they did receive my application, and he replied that in fact I was waitlisted and he thought that the Graduate School would have told me. So either they did forget, or they just wait to know if you're rejected or accepted before they tell you anything. Same here. Not a big surprise, though... Good luck with NYU. Keep us posted! That's weird, I didn't receive anything from Columbia. What does it mean? Maybe I'm waitlisted and they also 'forgot' to tell me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 That's weird, I didn't receive anything from Columbia. What does it mean? Maybe I'm waitlisted and they also 'forgot' to tell me! haha, could be!! Got big news today - emailed the DGS at Duke about the wait list, she emailed me back right away saying I would have "very good news soon" (!!!), and I got an offer letter 2 hours later! I still can't believe I got admitted to Duke! But now, I need to make a decision, and I have always hated making decisions I'm thinking about visiting UT Austin and Duke to have a feel of the places and meet with the faculty, but I don't know if I can pull that off as I am in France and won't be able to go from March 22-April 7.... going next week might be tight, but going after the 7th seems a little late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Congratulations, cicada! That is fantastic news! I also hate making decisions, and as I'm over here in France, too, I hear you about potential visits. I would at least talk or skype with more faculty and students, which you've probably already done in some extent? I've been doing a good deal of that over the past week and it has really helped to clarify things. At any rate, congrats again and it's a great decision to have to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks, Patrick! I will follow your advice and try to Skype with students and faculty. To be honest, I hadn't started doing it as I was not really expecting them to accept me from the wait list... let alone that early... I was a little shocked for the whole day. While it's a great decision to have to make, I had already started looking at housing options and made plans in my head... My mind was kind of set on UT Austin. I've also heard about how great that city is for weeks, so I was really happy I'd get to spend my PhD in such a cool place. Compared to Austin, Durham doesn't seem that exciting... But do we have that much time to spend enjoying the city when we are in a PhD? Also, I have to admit that I was a bit concerned that my areas of interest didn't really match my potential advisor's at Austin, so it's nice to know that there are several people with whom I share interests at Duke. I think I'll need to make that old pros and cons list tomorrow, or at least sleep on this big news. I was so not expecting it that I feel I need some time to process it and think clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmb Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 haha, could be!! Got big news today - emailed the DGS at Duke about the wait list, she emailed me back right away saying I would have "very good news soon" (!!!), and I got an offer letter 2 hours later! I still can't believe I got admitted to Duke! But now, I need to make a decision, and I have always hated making decisions I'm thinking about visiting UT Austin and Duke to have a feel of the places and meet with the faculty, but I don't know if I can pull that off as I am in France and won't be able to go from March 22-April 7.... going next week might be tight, but going after the 7th seems a little late Congratulations!!! That's such exciting news. Curious: How did you go about asking about the wait list? I've been wondering if I should pester Columbia, but I'm not sure it'll be a fruitful exchange. Re: decisions, I would try to visit if possible, but definitely talk to people. I was pretty set on NYU, until I visited UCLA and talked to professors. Very pleased with the professors, academically and in terms of student support and so forth. Also... You'll be working with these people for 5, 6, etc., years, so it's a good idea to see if you click! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 haha, could be!! Got big news today - emailed the DGS at Duke about the wait list, she emailed me back right away saying I would have "very good news soon" (!!!), and I got an offer letter 2 hours later! I still can't believe I got admitted to Duke! But now, I need to make a decision, and I have always hated making decisions I'm thinking about visiting UT Austin and Duke to have a feel of the places and meet with the faculty, but I don't know if I can pull that off as I am in France and won't be able to go from March 22-April 7.... going next week might be tight, but going after the 7th seems a little late Yes, I think it's important that you talk to people on Skype, that will give you a good idea of what the uni is like. Especially students, I don't think they try to pretend their uni is better than it really is... And I totally agree about the city, it IS important that you love the place where you'll spend 5+ years of your life. Curious: How did you go about asking about the wait list? I've been wondering if I should pester Columbia, but I'm not sure it'll be a fruitful exchange. I did call Columbia and NYU and it wasn't a fruitful exchange indeed. How did you find out that you were waitlisted at Columbia? Did they tell you? They told me I was still under consideration, plus I saw some people got a rejection email, so all of that makes me think that I'm waitlisted, but I didn't receive anything official to confirm this. Same thing about NYU, except I don't think they sent rejection emails to anyone yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fransces Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 haha, could be!! Got big news today - emailed the DGS at Duke about the wait list, she emailed me back right away saying I would have "very good news soon" (!!!), and I got an offer letter 2 hours later! I still can't believe I got admitted to Duke! But now, I need to make a decision, and I have always hated making decisions I'm thinking about visiting UT Austin and Duke to have a feel of the places and meet with the faculty, but I don't know if I can pull that off as I am in France and won't be able to go from March 22-April 7.... going next week might be tight, but going after the 7th seems a little late Congrats, cicada! So exciting. For me, I am still waiting to hear back from UF, which I had interview with almost three weeks ago!!!Plus, I saw someone posted the acceptance from the same program as me, I start to think maybe they will not offer me an admission. Feel so sad at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmb Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Yes, I think it's important that you talk to people on Skype, that will give you a good idea of what the uni is like. Especially students, I don't think they try to pretend their uni is better than it really is... And I totally agree about the city, it IS important that you love the place where you'll spend 5+ years of your life. I did call Columbia and NYU and it wasn't a fruitful exchange indeed. How did you find out that you were waitlisted at Columbia? Did they tell you? They told me I was still under consideration, plus I saw some people got a rejection email, so all of that makes me think that I'm waitlisted, but I didn't receive anything official to confirm this. Same thing about NYU, except I don't think they sent rejection emails to anyone yet. I received an e-mail telling me to check my account, which I did, and I had to confirm that I wanted to remain on the wait list that day---otherwise I would lose my spot. And then Elisabeth Ladenson wrote me an e-mail. So I'm not sure! They told me it was a "very small list"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 thanks for the support, guys! wmb - the way I found out that I had got off the waitlist was a real coincidence. I was thinking about emailing the DGS about it for a few days, just to touch base regarding the wait list. So I emailed her this morning, I told her about my ongoing interest and asked if she could tell me how many offers they had made this year, if it was a ranked wait list and if so, what my rank was, and finally, if they had started admitting applicants from the wait list. When I saw that she had replied right away, I was expecting to read the usual "I regret to inform you that..." but no, she said that she would have very good news for me soon and asked about potential external funding... I think my jaw dropped, and then, 2 hours later, I had the offer letter in my mailbox. Really weird coincidence, right! I couldn't believe it at first, and then I started thinking, freaking, and almost not sleeping haha What is more important for you, guys? location or faculty and department fit? I am so happy that I have to choose between two programs, but to be honest I find it hard to know that I will have to let go of one of the two. At UT Austin, after talking with my potential advisor and a grad student, I realized that it was not the greatest fit as far as research interests were concerned... this professor didn't seem totally on board with my interests and suggested I changed my potential dissertation topic or even that I try to maybe transfer to CompLit after the first years... At Duke, the faculty and department is a great fit, even though the city isn't as great as Austin. So my real question here is: would I be happier ending up doing research for years on topics that do not truly interest me in an exciting city (that I may not enjoy that much in the end since I'll prob be busy), or doing research that really interests me in not such a great city? what is more important? Also, Duke was one of my initial top choices and I know it has an amazing reputation - if it isn't the most important factor to consider, I also know it can't hurt in a future career... I guess I'm also a little scared that I won't know anyone at Duke. Even though I'm sure (or at least I hope!!) I would also make friends there, I already know a grad student at UT Austin, so it's nice to know I wouldn't be alone there. But this doesn't seem like a good enough reason to go to UT Austin haha In the end, I don't see how I could pass up on such a great opportunity at Duke. It's just that I need some time to say goodbye to exciting Austin, I guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 ...aaand I just got a rejection email from UPenn. That was expected but it feels weird to realize I finally got my last notification email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johann.lg9 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 What is more important for you, guys? location or faculty and department fit? Hi cicada! First off: congratulations!!! Duke's program is wonderful! To answer your question: you definitely have to choose according to the faculty and department's fit to your interests. I do not think it would be a good idea to choose based on the location (and... let's face it. We are pretty much saying goodbye to our social life for a few years anyway). What I learnt from experience is that writing a thesis on a topic that does not truly interest you will make your life miserable (happened to me). If you're going to spend five years working on a dissertation, you want to enjoy it and write about something you are truly passionate about. This being said, I completely understand how hard this decision is! Austin has a very good reputation as well and the city is, indeed, wonderful. If you could visit the departments, that would probably help. Good luck with the decision-making process and whatever you end up deciding, the most important thing is not to regret. You got in three wonderful programs and wherever you end up going, you will love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I agree with johann, have to go with faculty and fit. It's tempting to think about location, but you obviously applied to Duke for a reason and they accepted you! I very nearly applied there and would love to be in your place. I have family in that area of North Carolina, and I think it's a solid area. Definitely not my favorite in the world, but it's good. It took a while for my uncle (born and raised in Michigan, lived on the east coast) to get used to the life down there, but he likes it. I fully support going with the best fit at Duke! Very exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thank you very much, guys, I really appreciate your input and words of support! I spent two years at Pomona College in SoCal and absolutely loved the place and California as a whole, so I guess it'll take some time to get used to the idea of living anywhere else in the US... But you guys are right, I applied to Duke for a reason - with Vanderbilt, it was the best faculty and department's fit for my research interests. It is indeed exciting to be admitted to Duke, and now that I have talked with a grad student (also talking with a professor tomorrow), and started investigating about housing, etc... I can definitely picture myself there Patrick, did you find out more about funding for your MA at NYU? I hope it's good news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick K Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Ah, obviously a different area compared to SoCal, but that should be a great experience! Regarding NYU, my offer is now comes with 75% off tuition, which is an increase from previous funding! I would definitely be working some part-time job to go along with this, but I'm very excited about the opportunity to take these classes at the IFS and spend a few months studying in Paris. Still, I'm waiting for PSU and Minnesota before taking it all into consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cicada Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 That's great news, Patrick! You're right, you still need to hear from PSU and Minnesota before really planning anything at NYU. But it's good to know that if you were to study there, you would get 75% off tuition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fransces Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Congrats to Patrick and cicada! Cicada, if I were you, I would definitely choose Duke, for it's a better fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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