Application Status

[shencheng1130]

Hi, everyone. Just one question.

 

I am applying to UPENN. The school posted on the website about a week ago saying that they have received the required materials, including GRE and TOEFL scores, recommendation letters and unofficial transcripts. Plus, I have paid my application fee. But the application status remains incomplete.

 

Should I worry about it? Do I need to contact their staff concerning this issue?

[Bearcat1]

I spoke to the department secretary regarding another issue and asked about that. She said she has to manually change the status from incomplete to complete and told me not to worry, that if everything else appeared as received that it would be changed when she got to my app. They had over 200, so it may take awhile, but don't worry if all of your other stuff is marked.

[shencheng1130]

I spoke to the department secretary regarding another issue and asked about that. She said she has to manually change the status from incomplete to complete and told me not to worry, that if everything else appeared as received that it would be changed when she got to my app. They had over 200, so it may take awhile, but don't worry if all of your other stuff is marked.

 

Thanks, Bearcat1! Such a relief to hear this.

But again, over 200 applicants... I am starting to wonder if my material is even going to be read...

[runaway]

Thanks, Bearcat1! Such a relief to hear this.

But again, over 200 applicants... I am starting to wonder if my material is even going to be read...

 

That's nothing! I recently applied to an *internship* that had over 500 applicants. 

[Bearcat1]

Yeah, 200 sounds like a lot but I think there are plenty of programs with more than that. As for whether all the apps are read, each of the professors read the apps in their field before they go to the actual admissions committee, so I do think each app gets a fair amount of attention.

[mrb1145]

Wow! When I visited UPenn they said they had 150 last year, so that's a big leap! Unless some of them are for the MA only.

[Bearcat1]

Wow! When I visited UPenn they said they had 150 last year, so that's a big leap! Unless some of them are for the MA only.

Really? Wow. The person I spoke to didn't specify and I always forget there are MA applicants so I didn't think to ask. The other numbers I was given were PhD specific, so I assume the 200 was also. Ugh. I apologize to anyone who doesn't want this sort of info; I can never decide if it makes me feel better or not, but I shared because that's why we're here so I felt like it was the right thing to do.

[shencheng1130]

Wow! When I visited UPenn they said they had 150 last year, so that's a big leap! Unless some of them are for the MA only.

 

 

Really? Wow. The person I spoke to didn't specify and I always forget there are MA applicants so I didn't think to ask. The other numbers I was given were PhD specific, so I assume the 200 was also. Ugh. I apologize to anyone who doesn't want this sort of info; I can never decide if it makes me feel better or not, but I shared because that's why we're here so I felt like it was the right thing to do.

I am an MA applicant. I checked the app results on this forum and found that some applicants were rejected by Ph.d programs but admitted into the MA programs in the same department. So I guess schools tend to consider Ph.d and MA applicants together in the process...?

[shencheng1130]

That's nothing! I recently applied to an *internship* that had over 500 applicants. 

 

Is this a highly competitive internship position? or is it the usual proportion of job application for art history students?

 

BTW, it really reminds me of one saying: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Applies to every applicant, whether for a graduate program or a job.

[runaway]

Is this a highly competitive internship position? or is it the usual proportion of job application for art history students?

 

BTW, it really reminds me of one saying: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Applies to every applicant, whether for a graduate program or a job.

 

This was highly competitive, but I'm going into this whole thing expecting highly competitive to be the usual.

 

The difference between internship and PhD applicants, of course, is that applicants are a bit more self-selective when signing up for something that takes 7 years vs a few months. But it's a popular/trendy field right now and the job market is still recovering, so I'm expecting high applicant numbers this cycle. (Note that this is purely speculation, and (like you said) preparing for the worst. I don't have any inside scoop!)

[Bearcat1]

I am an MA applicant. I checked the app results on this forum and found that some applicants were rejected by Ph.d programs but admitted into the MA programs in the same department. So I guess schools tend to consider Ph.d and MA applicants together in the process...?

I have seen several posts from people who've applied to PhD programs and were accepted to MA programs, so perhaps you are right. I'll hope for that, because that makes the total number of applicants much less scary!