ferazel9 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Rosestark, I didn't apply to Vandy, sorry I can't help :/ However, I would totally call or email them. I just called UPenn to ask about the status of my application, cause I've literally heard nothing from them since submitting my application in December, and the graduate coordinator said that they haven't made any final decisions yet. She didn't even mention anything about campus visits, she just said that they've made no decisions. So I dunno, but it was at least worth the call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_verlan Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I just scheduled a Skype interview...for tomorrow. I don't really know what to expect. For those of you who have already had phone or Skype interviews, do you have any advice? How long did they last? What kinds of questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrot_flowers Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Nothing like a rejection to spice up your Monday evening. Cornell's a no on my end. Edited February 24, 2014 by carrot_flowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferazel9 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 carrot_flowers: that sucks. I'm sorry. paul_verlan: I had one phone interview with Boston. It consisted of them giving me a two hour timeframe in which they would call, calling 20 minutes before the end of it, introducing themselves in French, and asking me to tell them about my research interests. I gave them a brief answer, basically what was on my application, assuming they would ask follow up questions. They didn't, really, and instead said that I was free to ask questions. I asked about study abroad and summer opportunities, and then they said that they had to go to a meeting, so they would have to cut the interview short, but that I would be hearing something very soon. The whole process took 7 minutes and 29 seconds and left me feeling unfulfilled and confused. However, a friend of mine had a Skype interview with Columbia a couple weeks ago, and they apparently asked him all sorts of things about what authors he'd read and if he could give an example of an author from this or that literary movement, etc. His lasted like 12 minutes. So based on that, I had gone through and reviewed all of the things I had ever studied in lit classes in preparation for my interview, but none of that was necessary. So, basically, you could apparently be asked about your knowledge of French lit/culture/whatever you're applying for, or just vague questions about what you like. I would make sure to read up on the professors you'd like to work with/the program itself so that you can ask good questions and sound like you've studied the program. Do you know if it's going to be in English or French? Maybe look up a couple key French words so that you're prepared to talk about these subjects in either language should the need arise. That's pretty much all the advice I can give though. Wear a nice shirt, comb your hair, all that. Good luck! What school is it for? rosestark: have you heard from Tulane? I didn't apply there, but my friend did and just heard today, and I was kind of wondering if they (and other schools) don't send out all their letters/emails at the same time? On the results page, it seems like some schools just have a flood of responses on one day, and others things are sort of all over the place. Man, this forum has become my favorite place on the internet while stuck in this terrible limbo of not knowing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosestark Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Ferazel, thanks - I did end up emailing the GPC after I posted that. I figured I'd have seen here or on the results search if someone frequenting Grad Cafe had heard, aaand I was getting impatient. Now I kind of wish I'd called, b/c with email I have to wait for a reply...ha. Live & learn! Sorry about Cornell, Carrot flowers. And to Paul Verlan: I would love to see a whole thread about foreign language grad program interviews! I found some good tips in the Interviews & Visits section of Grad Cafe but I'd also be interested to hear about other people's experiences with French interviews in particular. I had a skype interview early on with UT Austin, & a telephone interview with UGA so I can tell you about those - hope it helps. Both interviews lasted 15-20 min each, which is not a lot of time! My self-criticism was that I thought sometimes I took too long to get to the point of their questions. That's not to say to be short with your answers though, it was just my personal experience - having been to interviews that are typically an hour, this was definitely quick and to the point! Both had about 4 faculty members present and they went around taking turns to ask questions. UT faculty asked more general questions like, what made me interested in their program, tell us about your research and research interests, why did I want to pursue this degree/higher ed in French, etc., and the interview was mostly in English. One of the questions was in French with no warning . UGA (this was for the MA mind you, ymmv) informed me the interview would be completely in French and last 15-20 minutes and address my academic interests and teaching experience. They introduced themselves in English then switched to French for the questions, which were more targeted to (duh) my academic interests & teaching experience- They asked specifically about some of the things I'd mentioned on my c.v. and application. Both asked me for my questions at the end. Gotta go - good luck tomorrow!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikel Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Anyone heard anything from Vanderbilt? I'm not exactly holding my breath but.... it would be great to know when I can expect some kind of decision. Thinking about emailing but thought I'd see if anyone else had before I begin to "pester" I am waiting on a reply from Vandy as well, rosestark. Let me know if you find out anything! The waiting is the worst! Courage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosestark Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 rosestark: have you heard from Tulane? I didn't apply there, but my friend did and just heard today, and I was kind of wondering if they (and other schools) don't send out all their letters/emails at the same time? On the results page, it seems like some schools just have a flood of responses on one day, and others things are sort of all over the place. Man, this forum has become my favorite place on the internet while stuck in this terrible limbo of not knowing! I had a phone call with Tulane today! Actually a faculty member called me Fri, I missed it & tried to call back yesterday & missed him (oh phone tag), then the coordinator & head of dept called me today for what seemed like a (surprise!) phone interview. I think it went ok for me not being prepared at all... Did your friend hear accepted / not accepted already? I had the impression that they would deliberate then send decisions out "soon" (ai a couple weeks) - but maybe they've accepted some folks they were sure of already. Nikel, I haven't heard anything yet- no reply to my email... but merci et bon courage à vous aussi! If I do get a response I'll update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferazel9 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Did your friend hear accepted / not accepted already? Yeah, he heard on Monday that he was accepted. He's also been accepted at Johns Hopkins, and a MA program at Columbia, so I'm getting a LITTLE FRUSTRATED not having any news from anyone, while he's reaping in the acceptances... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosestark Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Update: response from Vanderbilt is they are still deliberating. I wasn't given any kind of timeline (the email mentioned that they'd be in contact as soon as possible). So, not a lot of information...but at least I got a polite response to let me know that I wasn't forgotten ( ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosestark Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Ferazel your friend IS doing well! Hah I wonder if that means the phone call from Tulane was to weed or check out folks they weren't sure of before sending out some more acceptances. I don't know that I gave a good enough interview to make it if they are weeding among candidates...if they are just doing a sanity/attitude check I might still make it though (if nothing else, I will claim that I am sane and have a good attitude! haha). At least I am not too worried because I have my acceptance from my one school. I'm thankful for that one early response! Wouldn't it be great is all the programs were quick and/or stuck to a predefined timeline so we knew when to expect news? I am sure you'll hear things soon though. At this point every day seems like people hear from some school...so I'm thinking there's got to be more news coming in the next week or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferazel9 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Rosestark, yeah, my friend's a butt, but he's smart, so I'm happy for him. And good thoughts about Tulane. If it was a sort of off the cuff, surprise interview, like you said, I can't imagine they'd be using that to weed people out…normally if they're assessing you for an interview, I feel like they'll warn you at least a LITTLE ahead of time. I mean you could've been on the bus when he called you, he had no way of knowing your preparedness situation. It is comforting that you've got one school at least though, yeah. It would be just fabulous if schools decided to get together and give out results on the same, or similar, or at least not DRASTICALLY different timelines. It's insane that some people hear in January while others don't until end of March. Just sucks, this waiting game! When I had a phone chat with the dept. head at UVA, he told me that the committee would get together in the beginning of March and start getting some acceptances sent out, and in another email inviting me to a graduate open house, it had said that decisions would be sent out by mid-March at the LATEST, so I'm sure I'll hear from them in the next two weeks. I'm also about to leave on vacation in the west of France for the next two weeks (I'm teaching English in France through TAPIF this year, so we've got spring break starting tomorrow), so an email from UVA (and potentially other schools), good or bad, will likely be making this a very boozy vacation, haha. So, cheers for now, and hopefully I'll have some news (of any kind) next time I talk to you lovely people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espress Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Did anyone hear back from Pitt? They told me during my phone interview that I should hear back by the 1st or 2nd of March, but I haven't. At this point, I've already been accepted to two of my top choices, but I am curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrot_flowers Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 If anyone's waiting to hear back from UW-Madison: I just received an email from them today about recommending me to the Graduate School for admission. I hope others hear good news as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellifontaine Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Just received good news from NYU via email. I hope others do too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ald015 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Hi everyone! I'm new to this thread, but I applied to NYU (MA) and Columbia (MA) for both Paris and New York. Thanks for all of the great info thus far! Has anyone applying to MA programs heard information back from NYU or Columbia? I received a planned phone call/interview from the NYU Paris Director of graduate studies for French Lit and she gave me positive feedback. Has anyone else had a similar situation? Also is there a results page link that someone could post on here? I can't seem to find it. Bonne chance et bon courage à tous !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferazel9 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Congrats to everybody getting good news! I FINALLY have heard back from a couple places, and now know what my life will be for the next five years! Hooray! No from Boston, but big ol' yes from UVA, so I'm thrilled. UPenn and UMD haven't contacted me at all, but no great loss. I'm super stoked for UVA, and really it was my top choice anyway. This feels so surreal, I can't believe it really at all. Has anybody else heard from UVA? ald015, you can read/post results here: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php That's great about your NYU interview! I didn't apply to either NYU or Columbia, but I have a friend who applied to Columbia for a PhD or a Masters, and he didn't get into the PhD program, but was accepted to the Masters program in Paris. He turned it down to do a doctorate at Johns Hopkins though. Good continued luck to everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ald015 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Thanks, Ferazel9! I just got accepted to NYU Paris (MA) so I'm super excited! Let me know if anyone else gets accepted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikel Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Anyone heard anything from Vanderbilt? I'm not exactly holding my breath but.... it would be great to know when I can expect some kind of decision. Thinking about emailing but thought I'd see if anyone else had before I begin to "pester" Hey Rosestark, Any news on your part from Vandy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosestark Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Nada from Vandy or Tulane (I'm thinking Tulane unofficially waitlisted me). About to go visit Austin though and am very excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferazel9 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 For what it's worth, I heard back from UPenn. No go, but no surprise there at all. Hope everyone's doing well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ald015 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 anything from columbia yet anyone?? I'm starting to get nervous.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrot_flowers Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Decision day's tomorrow! Hope everyone's fall is shaping up to be a great one! rosestark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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