Daisy123 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 To join in on all of this silence....is anyone else applying to University of Pittsburgh? I am so confused.....I called last week and they told me that some decisions have been made but the process is not done. I call to inquire this week, and they tell me " i am sorry, i have no idea if the applicants have been notified or when we are going to do that". I called 3 different people this week, and no one knows what the situation is. i dont know how realistic that is , but have any of you heard of anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toronto2 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Do graduate departments make their admissions process as opaque as possible in order to torture us or what? I just don't get why they have to do this, why can't they just put our names into a computer and tell us where we stand? this is so messed up. fiveby5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy123 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) totally. i think its the survival test of the graduate applicant if they are still standing by the end of it, one check Edited February 19, 2015 by Daisy123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleZephyr Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Irvine has sent out its decisions - acceptances and waitlists. They already did their recruitment weekend (it was combined with their interview) Thank you for the info. I'm definitely narrowing my list of possible programs down, rejection by rejection. It would be nice to get rejections when the programs have decided, instead of getting them all in one big heap in March/April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipposhippos Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) Do graduate departments make their admissions process as opaque as possible in order to torture us or what? I just don't get why they have to do this, why can't they just put our names into a computer and tell us where we stand? this is so messed up. I know that decisions and admit processes are highly decentralized at certain schools. Sometimes, committees within departments meet to decide who to admit. Then, those names get sent to some administrative people higher up for processing or whatever, and then to the Graduate Dean for funding approval, and then to whoever it goes to in the university who presses the button to send you the email notification. I think faculty have no power whatsoever to change your status in the online portal...that's someone else's job in the university. I think it feels better to blame crazy internal bureaucracy for all this waiting, but it's still very irritating and inefficient nonetheless. Edited February 19, 2015 by hipposhippos grad_wannabe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toronto2 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 OK. Is there ever a situation where acceptances come out at different times, or do you think all those who are accepted and not waitlisted are accepted at the same time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeep Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Yeah social. You? Yeah... well, media. For those who are in the know -- have the social acceptances been purely social, or media too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy123 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I was wondering the same thing....could it really be possible where a few get told now, and a few more later of + news??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaitri Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) I think lots of schools don't officially inform people that they're on the waiting list, but it seems unlikely that the first round of acceptances would go out in a trickle. Maybe they'll arrive or be sent out over a few days to a week, but why would an organization send out some admission packages and acceptance emails, then wait a few weeks, and do it again? It makes terrible sense from a business or organizational perspective. These institutions aren't haphazardly run by children; they're managed by professionals. I know universities often have outrageously stupid or backwards policies, but no organization would waste time putting together only HALF, or SOME of the admission packages unless they absolutely had to. People have to physically photocopy and sign the paperwork, stuff envelopes, etc. And if approvals and notifications have to go through broader schools of graduate studies, then why would departments purposely slow their process down by only requesting approval for some of their first round of admissions? It's harsh to hear this, I know. Unfortunately, if you have evidence that at least some acceptances have gone out, then you're probably stuck on the wait list for the next month or two, or you're going to get a rejection letter. EDIT: for context, I am a current MA student at U of T, and I got an offer of admission on the same day as 3 other people from my cohort. We all got our admission packages on the same day as well. And yet, because only a few of us got offers, many of our classmates have wondered the same thing as you, Daisy, but it just seems unlikely. I've watched the department go through all of the necessary processes (initial emails, sending out packages, scheduling the on-site visit, etc.) and it's pretty clear to me that they have a set process for everything. And they made it clear to me that they wouldn't send the admission packages out until they were all ready, regardless of the fact that I'm a current student there. Remember: once the adcomm makes its decisions, then the administrators take over. These tend to be very efficient people, who have a good understanding of the university policies, and who wouldn't send out only some of the emails/admission packages while spitefully sitting on the others. Edited February 19, 2015 by Kaitri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annwyn Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Looking at the results page it seems like that is possible (very spaced out acceptances). In previous years there are instances in there where people have acceptances in Feb from a program and then in late March more acceptances get posted to the same program. I haven't noticed any schools this year doing that...but it's still a theoretical possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaitri Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 That's an example of a school admitting people off the waitlist, not waiting to send out the first round of acceptances..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grad_wannabe Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I know that decisions and admit processes are highly decentralized at certain schools. Sometimes, committees within departments meet to decide who to admit. Then, those names get sent to some administrative people higher up for processing or whatever, and then to the Graduate Dean for funding approval, and then to whoever it goes to in the university who presses the button to send you the email notification. I think faculty have no power whatsoever to change your status in the online portal...that's someone else's job in the university. I think it feels better to blame crazy internal bureaucracy for all this waiting, but it's still very irritating and inefficient nonetheless. thank you for writing this -- it's helping me hold off on calling the grad coordinator who told me during my interview that I should hear back "very quickly, in a couple days" ... which took place 9 days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipposhippos Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 thank you for writing this -- it's helping me hold off on calling the grad coordinator who told me during my interview that I should hear back "very quickly, in a couple days" ... which took place 9 days ago. Yes, that sounds like it's out of their hands at that point, and they aren't technically allowed to disclose admissions decisions--probably only the Grad Division or whatever is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy123 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 hipposhippos , so which school are you waiting on now? do you know where you are leaning towards? Congratulations, by the way, on 4 acceptances!! YOU GOOOO!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy123 Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 ahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa speak of the devil . Pittsburgh acceptance , where are you my dear? congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipposhippos Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 hipposhippos , so which school are you waiting on now? do you know where you are leaning towards? Congratulations, by the way, on 4 acceptances!! YOU GOOOO!!! Thank you!!! I'll PM you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunterFan Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I know it's not strictly anthropology, but I got an acceptance email from UChicago's MAPSS program today (which I applied to, in addition to the PhD program)! Woo. Hope others found success as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow24 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Long time lurker. Just got into UA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJackson Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) To add to Kaitri's post - there are big differences between schools (also between Canada and the US). Some departments have control over their funding and admission, they do what they want with it. Others, often true of Canadian schools, might be your "department" but you're technically a student of the Graduate Studies School (or something to that effect). So the department reccomends your admission, but the administrators, deans, etc are the ones who finalize it. In other schools, often the US, you are a student of your department and they are using their funding to support you, they have more control. In the case of some schools, they can and will admit their top students very early and somehwat 'secretly' because they are competing against other top programs to get that student. They will then do a wave of admissions offers, and rejections and hold back a group who they will make offers to if any of the others who are offered decline that offer. If rejections have gone out for a school and you haven't heard, you can ask the department secretary or graduate officer or whoever you have been in touch with (aside from your POI) what your status is. But it probably means you're in the second round, which in some schools is an official waitlist and in others it isn't. But I coudn't agree more with the comments above about the process being torture - having seen admissions from inside a committee, it's a totally absurd process, completely unfair, and is absolutely no reflection on your value as a candidate at all. It's full of insider nonsense, who knows who, who went to school with who and so on. Maybe back when each incoming cohort was 25 students or more, it might have been a little more of a reflection of your value as a student - but now, when incoming classes are 8, or 5, or sometimes 2 students? It's meaningless if you're admitted or not - it's practically luck. In other words, seriously do not take it as a reflection on you as a candidate if you aren't admitted. If you reached out and a POI said they were interested, that is meaningful and it means if you want to you should continue the process, apply again, find the school and the moment when luck will be on your side. Edited February 20, 2015 by DanJackson Meglet, stretchingit, hipposhippos and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meglet Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I think lots of schools don't officially inform people that they're on the waiting list, but it seems unlikely that the first round of acceptances would go out in a trickle. Actually, I partially disagree with this. From some of the things we've seen on the results board and discussed here, I think you are right about official acceptance packages. But we've seen a lot of schools letting faculty members do unofficial notifications several weeks before official ones, and when left up to individual faculty members, that can mean very spaced out acceptances. Or possibly even some professors deciding not to do the unofficial notification, and just let the applicant wait for the official one. But at a certain point, yes, we are probably just languishing on the wait-list. DanJackson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJackson Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Yes, definitely. I can say that my POIs informed me of decisions long before they were "official." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtstainedgirl36 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Anyone claiming the two U of A posts? That makes 3 schools now that have people are hearing back from and I've still heard nothing...ahhh even if they're rejections that's fine, I just wanna know!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow24 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) Anyone claiming the two U of A posts? That makes 3 schools now that have people are hearing back from and I've still heard nothing...ahhh even if they're rejections that's fine, I just wanna know!!! Hey there! I was the acceptance. Just got an email a few hours ago. This is a nerve-wracking process and there is just no way of knowing when or why things happen. I hope you hear some good news soon, though! Edited February 20, 2015 by Scarecrow24 aaannnthroling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy123 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 congratulations! such a great program!!! Scarecrow24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow24 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Congrats, Scarecrow24! Nice to meet another ling person here! Thank you! And yes, it's been weird lurking on the two boards (ling and anthro). I definitely have more experience from a sociolinguistic perspective, so I might PM some of you guys for input aaannnthroling and NOWAYNOHOW 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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