HL Slam Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 After seeing all of the MIT acceptances, I'm pretty sure I'll be 0-for-7 in this cycle. It's crushing. I'm not sure how I should go about the next year or so or if I'll even apply again....
astreaux Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 After seeing all of the MIT acceptances, I'm pretty sure I'll be 0-for-7 in this cycle. It's crushing. I'm not sure how I should go about the next year or so or if I'll even apply again.... Any more decisions pending?
HL Slam Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Any more decisions pending? Well, I've received official rejections from Cornell, Princeton, University of Washington, and Ohio State. I wasn't accepted or placed on a wait list at Chicago and haven't heard back from MIT. I also applied to Yale, but that's even more of a long shot than other schools to which I applied. I'm just hoping that I can get an offer for MAPPS at Chicago as a fall back option. My experience over the past month has been a tough pill to swallow.
astreaux Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Well, I've received official rejections from Cornell, Princeton, University of Washington, and Ohio State. I wasn't accepted or placed on a wait list at Chicago and haven't heard back from MIT. I also applied to Yale, but that's even more of a long shot than other schools to which I applied. I'm just hoping that I can get an offer for MAPPS at Chicago as a fall back option. My experience over the past month has been a tough pill to swallow. There's a Harvard acceptance from March of last year with the comment "Only acceptance of this cycle! Don't lose hope at any time!" When my first few decisions were all rejections, I read that comment over and over. Sending warm wishes for Yale, MIT, and Chicago MA acceptances your way... ajaxp91, packrat, bassoonist and 5 others 8
HL Slam Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 There's a Harvard acceptance from March of last year with the comment "Only acceptance of this cycle! Don't lose hope at any time!" When my first few decisions were all rejections, I read that comment over and over. Sending warm wishes for Yale, MIT, and Chicago MA acceptances your way... Hey thanks a lot for the support! I appreciate it and wish you the best as well.
washington1985 Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) To HL Slam and any others fearing striking out this cycle, a few thoughts: 1) These applications do not define who you are as a person, your intelligence, or your promise as a future academic. If you want to be an academic, you will find ways of strengthening your application and applying again in the future. There are several folks on this forum who should serve as an inspiration... I forget who it was, but I read from one poster that they nailed Columbia after 30 applications. There is hope! 2) All the really good things in life bring with them the risk of failure. If you want it, don't give up. If you choose not to apply in the future, make it your choice. Don't let someone in the shadows drag you down. 3) These applicaitons do not define who you are as a person. A good friend and immensely successful academic once told me that smart is cheap. It can be bought or found on any street corner. Instead, folks who show they can work hard and are of good character will find success in the end in whatever they do. 4) Finally, if you decide an academic career is not for you (and really make it your decision!), remember, that you were even applying to these types of excellent schools suggests you have great skill. That skill can be turned into any number of exciting, meaningful, challenging, and fun careers. In short - getting rejected is the worst. It is hard. But rest assured, it is not a judgment of you as a person. All works out in the end. Edited for terrible spelling. Edited February 21, 2014 by washington1985 Zahar Berkut, HL Slam and wisescience 3
AHL Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 There's a Harvard acceptance from March of last year with the comment "Only acceptance of this cycle! Don't lose hope at any time!" When my first few decisions were all rejections, I read that comment over and over. This might be the most touching thing I've read on this forum. Congratulations on your acceptances. washington1985 1
trizzle2131 Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I'm tired of lurking and just want to say that I'm glad I found this forum. Knowing that you are all in the same boat makes this process much more bearable. Seeing this kind of support is a beautiful thing. (Political)ScienceRules, kal5, woodpecker2014 and 4 others 7
deltaqsquared Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I thought Yale had historically announced soon after Presidents' Day. Anyone emailed Yale yet about this? And how about Johns Hopkins?
wokeem Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I can't help but think that Hopkins will be any day now. This well exceeds (by a whole 2 days!) the notification dates over the past 3 years.
packrat Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Can we confirm that all Columbia acceptances are out? Someone mentioned that last year they did it in waves, but it also seems like there is a lot of green for just one wave. Has anyone checked with the dept on this?
didoo Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 There's a Harvard acceptance from March of last year with the comment "Only acceptance of this cycle! Don't lose hope at any time!" When my first few decisions were all rejections, I read that comment over and over. Sending warm wishes for Yale, MIT, and Chicago MA acceptances your way... That comment is what keeping me hopeful... I also would like to think that results for IR and Security Studies for MIT aren't out yet. Just to keep my hope alive. astreaux 1
jeudepaume Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I am confused as to how I got into MIT and rejected from Northwestern on the same day. There seem to be a lot of these paradoxes this year. I remember reading earlier in this thread about someone who was admitted to Stanford but rejected from Northwestern, and another who was admitted to Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley and rejected from a Big 10 school (not Michigan). Life is like a box of chocolates. Apparently so is PhD admissions. I don't understand why you guys are calling it paradoxes. All of those are good schools with lots of very qualified applicants. Somewhere you're picked, somewhere you're not; it seems to be an absolutely normal part of the process. Implying that it's impossible to be rejected from Northwestern (why, because it is a lower ranked school?) after being accepted to MIT doesn't seem right to me. astreaux, AuldReekie, milox and 5 others 7 1
timeless90 Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 That comment is what keeping me hopeful... I also would like to think that results for IR and Security Studies for MIT aren't out yet. Just to keep my hope alive. I am assuming that the calling/emailing is optional for that school i.e. its up to the professors handling the business. But probably all the snailmailz have gone out??? i dont know.
IRTheoryNerd Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) My sense is that most of the people who were frustrated by this comment were so because they assumed the author was white. Gotcha. Let me say, if that is indeed the case no one would rage more than I. Edited February 21, 2014 by IRTheoryNerd
didoo Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) I am assuming that the calling/emailing is optional for that school i.e. its up to the professors handling the business. But probably all the snailmailz have gone out??? i dont know. I mean i think the decisions have been made...but some will come in slow mails. And this was another one from 2012 that should keep all our hopes up: "Out of the 16 schools I applied, I got into Harvard and Oxford. Tough choice this time!" Edited February 21, 2014 by didoo
timeless90 Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I mean i think the decisions have been made...but some will come in slow mails. And this was another one from 2012 that should keep all our hopes up: "Out of the 16 schools I applied, I got into Harvard and Oxford. Tough choice this time!" yea definitely no need to cross the school off the list just yet! People from previous years found out only after finding their envelope in their PO boxes. and as for myself, I got an acceptance from one school a full day after the majority of decisions went out and I did not have any POI contact me, although many others indicated that they have been contacted. So the lesson is, its not over until its over! Good luck!
Orlien Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) Gotcha. Let me say, if that is indeed the case no one would rage more than I.If I recall correctly, doesn't the application ask for demographic details, such as race? If that is the case, it is overwhelmingly likely that the poster was white (otherwise, they must have put "prefer not to answer" on the app) I guess the reason I interpreted it cynically is because in the undergraduate admissions process, there are white people who routinely make statements like this (eg see Suzy Lee Weiss) EDIT: here's the linkhttp://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324000704578390340064578654?mobile=y Edited February 21, 2014 by Orlien
MiroslavBass Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) If I won't be admitted anywhere to Political Science, I will change my field entirely.... To Astrophysics. It will be the fresh start. Edited February 21, 2014 by MiroslavBass
TakeMyCoffeeBlack Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Any predictions for today? It seems that some schools have gone off the script of past years (Princeton early, Yale late). jberry 1
Zahar Berkut Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Can we confirm that all Columbia acceptances are out? Someone mentioned that last year they did it in waves, but it also seems like there is a lot of green for just one wave. Has anyone checked with the dept on this? Someone posted in the results search "Emailed GSAS, "No decision has been recorded on your application. We expect that the faculty committee on admissions will return all Ph.D. decisions by early to mid March. You will be notified via email when a decision has been reached." This seems surprising to me, since they sent out so many acceptances, a few waitlists, and visitation info. Maybe there will be a second wave, but my best guess right now is to interpret this as "rejected, but not handling individual inquiries."
MiroslavBass Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 There's a prof at Aberystwyth who actually did that, only the other way around. You mean switched from humanities to exact sciences? Did he earn bachelor again?
Ella Simmons Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 I don't understand why you guys are calling it paradoxes. All of those are good schools with lots of very qualified applicants. Somewhere you're picked, somewhere you're not; it seems to be an absolutely normal part of the process. Implying that it's impossible to be rejected from Northwestern (why, because it is a lower ranked school?) after being accepted to MIT doesn't seem right to me. I think this is perhaps an overly nihilistic view of admissions. Lower-ranked schools accept a higher percentage of people, which often happens to comprise the people strong enough to get in at better-ranked programs plus the people who were just on the edge and aren't subject to getting poached. Sure, there's noise, and candidates don't have a universal quality ordering across schools, but I am still somewhat surprised given that I thought the fit with faculty at Northwestern was pretty strong.
packrat Posted February 21, 2014 Posted February 21, 2014 Someone posted in the results search "Emailed GSAS, "No decision has been recorded on your application. We expect that the faculty committee on admissions will return all Ph.D. decisions by early to mid March. You will be notified via email when a decision has been reached." This seems surprising to me, since they sent out so many acceptances, a few waitlists, and visitation info. Maybe there will be a second wave, but my best guess right now is to interpret this as "rejected, but not handling individual inquiries." I assumed as much as well. I also thought that poster perhaps applied for the MA program as a second option, and they have not reached a decision on that (I didn't, so that wouldnt really apply to me)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now