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Decisions 2015


ashiepoo72

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That's great news, Chiqui! Surprise money is, like, one of the best things ever haha

 

I think if one of my top choices offered me guaranteed summer funding, I'd jump on their offer. I won't bring it up until I've visited all the programs I want to visit and have the list narrowed down a bit more, but I plan on mentioning it for sure. No harm in asking!

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Congrats Chiqui as well! I'm now super torn apart in between UH Manoa and Claremont Grad coz they both are my top choices!!! I'm tryin to see if i can arrange a trip to HI to visit the campus but the flights are super-packed now....

Anyways, I RSVPed to the Open House for Claremont so Im lookin forward to meet anyone who's admitted to the program! :)

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I'm wondering what happens after you accept an offer? I accepted an offer a week ago, and the application webpage reads "offer accepted by student." Will there be anything formal arriving in the mail? I also wonder when I'm supposed to register for courses? I received my official acceptance letter in the mail awhile ago, but now I'm confused about the next steps. Perhaps I am being impatient. 

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Thanks TMP. I will email the graduate coordinator, but before I do that, I really appreciate advice from others on their experiences. I'm still a bit shy about sending emails to prospective professors. :)

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I'm wondering what happens after you accept an offer? I accepted an offer a week ago, and the application webpage reads "offer accepted by student." Will there be anything formal arriving in the mail? I also wonder when I'm supposed to register for courses? I received my official acceptance letter in the mail awhile ago, but now I'm confused about the next steps. Perhaps I am being impatient. 

 

When I accepted my offer I sent a quick email to the DGS explaining that I had accepted the offer, that I was looking forward to joining the program, and if there was anything else they needed from me to officially confirm the acceptance.  The DGS said that they would be sending a GTA contract for me to sign at some point in the next few weeks to finalize my funding.  So if you got a funding/assistantship from your program I would guess that would be the next step.

 

Also, don't be afraid to shoot the DGS or a POI some questions.  They won't revoke your acceptance for asking!

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When I accepted my offer I sent a quick email to the DGS explaining that I had accepted the offer, that I was looking forward to joining the program, and if there was anything else they needed from me to officially confirm the acceptance.  The DGS said that they would be sending a GTA contract for me to sign at some point in the next few weeks to finalize my funding.  So if you got a funding/assistantship from your program I would guess that would be the next step.

 

Also, don't be afraid to shoot the DGS or a POI some questions.  They won't revoke your acceptance for asking!

 

Thanks for the advice, I did send an email to the graduate coordinator, letting him know that I was very excited about the funding offer they provided and that I would be accepting the offer. He forwarded the email to my POI, who emailed me a congratulations email. 

I had received a "tease" email early on, and then once a decision was made, the graduate coordinator emailed me to let me know. After the dean of graduate studies approved my acceptance and funding, I received the official acceptance email. I accepted it, and I am now wondering about the next steps. My best bet, like TMP suggested, is to email the graduate co-ordinator. 

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Guys, it's been two weeks since I emailed my POI about accepting the admission offer and I haven't heard anything back; it's crickets over here.  Considering I didn't hear anything at all when I attempted contact pre-application, this is really freaking me out.  I hope it's not an indication of what the next 5+ years will be like. 

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Chiqui, is the POI on leave for the semester or doing research? 

 

Just based on my experience (and going through the prospective decision thing for a second time), most departments wouldn't accept a potential student over the objections of the official POI. The POI is assumed to be a deciding force when accepting an application.

 

That said, there are departments I have encountered where the relationship between the stated POI (the person you mention in the application) and the acceptance is not as clear. In one of the places where I was admitted I was told that I was to decide on my adviser at a future date (once I started the program and met all the people working on my area of the world). Unsurprisingly, my intended POI at that institution seemed far less enthusiastic than the ones in other places where I was admitted. He/She also seemed to be on leave during the application period, so I was not even sure how familiar he/she was with my file in the first place.

 

Did you get to meet the POI during the campus visit?

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Not on leave. We did talk on the phone about two weeks after the admission notification but did not meet at the prospective student weekend as the POI was on a teaching assignment in another location.

Advisor assignments are temporary until one is officially declared sometime in the 2nd semester. You may keep the same advisor or ask someone else to advise you.

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Perhaps the POI will be a better communicator once the semester/quarter starts. I truly don't remember communicating much with my previous POI after I accepted the offer (he/she took a year off to write a book as soon as I was admitted).

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Not on leave. We did talk on the phone about two weeks after the admission notification but did not meet at the prospective student weekend as the POI was on a teaching assignment in another location.

Advisor assignments are temporary until one is officially declared sometime in the 2nd semester. You may keep the same advisor or ask someone else to advise you.

Remember, it takes a village to raise a graduate student....

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Not on leave. We did talk on the phone about two weeks after the admission notification but did not meet at the prospective student weekend as the POI was on a teaching assignment in another location.

Advisor assignments are temporary until one is officially declared sometime in the 2nd semester. You may keep the same advisor or ask someone else to advise you.

 

I'm blanking on your field, but these past two weeks were huge conference weeks for medievalists & early modernists.

 

Sometimes emails just get lost or forgotten. Was it clear you expected a reply? If so, I'd just re-send it.

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It's crazy difficult to decide when you have great offers and are being courted by programs! Totally get it. You'll make the right choice when the time comes. Have you made any pros and cons lists? That might help you gain some perspective.

 

I'm about to tell a potential adviser whom I totally adore that I can't accept the program's offer. I know it's part of the process, but it makes me want to cry.

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Well, I made up my mind. I will be attending the University of Chicago.

 

@ashiepoo: I totally get it. The guy I turned down was great. Heck, I had followed his work and academic trajectory for the past 3 years or so (and rooted for him when he landed his current academic position). At the end of the day, however, U of C seemed a better overall fit. 

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Well, I made up my mind. I will be attending the University of Chicago.

 

@ashiepoo: I totally get it. The guy I turned down was great. Heck, I had followed his work and academic trajectory for the past 3 years or so (and rooted for him when he landed his current academic position). At the end of the day, however, U of C seemed a better overall fit. 

Congrats!

 

I just accepted my UNC offer as well! Wish me luck with the US visa!

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