Fall 2016 Applicants

[SunshineLolipops]

@TMP I'm not coming back to this at all once this is over.  Second cycle, I got the message.  At least it was 3-4 waitlists as opposed to a slate of outright rejections last cycle.

Edited April 16, 2016 by SunshineLolipops

[Calgacus]

@SunshineLolipops Have you asked the schools for an update? Surely that's a reasonable question. I sent a message like that this past week to a school I was waitlisted at before accepting another offer and they didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, he seemed happy that I was checking in.

[SunshineLolipops]

@Calgacus I shot a few emails this morning and already one response/rejection.  This is going to make the Society of Civil War Historians meeting in my hometown a bit awkward.  The panelists are basically list of my POIs.

[Quickmick]

5 hours ago, SunshineLolipops said:

@Calgacus I shot a few emails this morning and already one response/rejection.  This is going to make the Society of Civil War Historians meeting in my hometown a bit awkward.  The panelists are basically list of my POIs.

You could (although you mentioned this is it for you) use that as a springboard for next year. I went to a conference at the beginning of the month ahead of the upcoming admission cycle. Don't know if it will help or not, but I am hopeful it will.

[SunshineLolipops]

@Quickmick I agree, it's a wonderful opportunity to network and make a great impression, but I promised the family back in the fall that this would be it.

[the_flying_k]

I found out a few days before the April 15th deadline that I got in off the waitlist at William and Mary.  After much thought and consideration, I accepted their offer!  It was a tough decision, but I'm very happy with my choice.

[Rohail Salman]

I also found out right on the 15th of April that GWU offered me a place for a PhD in History, after having spent a good 2 months on the waitlist. Being one of my primary choices, I accepted happily!

[Neist]

1 hour ago, Rohail Salman said:

I also found out right on the 15th of April that GWU offered me a place for a PhD in History, after having spent a good 2 months on the waitlist. Being one of my primary choices, I accepted happily!

Congrats!  

[Danger_Zone]

4 hours ago, Rohail Salman said:

I also found out right on the 15th of April that GWU offered me a place for a PhD in History, after having spent a good 2 months on the waitlist. Being one of my primary choices, I accepted happily!

Congrats, that's awesome!

[monenemo]

Hi guys, I am in a rather difficult situation now. Hopefully I can get some advice on how to deal with it. So here is what happened:

About two weeks or so ago, I visited a school where I was admitted to. Before the visit, my POI there and the department admin both assured me that the travel cost of this trip will be reimbursed to me. When I got there, I also spoke to the admin person again to make sure the reimbursement is underway. The admin person told me that the check was actually sent the day before, and that I will receive it in a week or so. The visit went well. But I decided that another option was a better fit for me. So I went with the other school. I politely declined the offer from this school and my POI and I seemed to be on good terms. I returned home thinking the reimbursement check would arrive soon. However, after more than two weeks, still no sign of the check in the mail. I emailed the admin person again to ask if the reimbursement check was indeed sent out. This time, to my surprise, she said that the reimbursement is awaiting approval and that no time estimate can be given as to when it will be approved. Her tone in the emails seemed bothered by my inquiries. Now I am starting to think that I might never get my money back, which sucks for a poor grad student like me.

Have anyone encountered something like this before? I thought people in academia are generally honest and decent, but I feel like this admin person deceived me on purpose.

I don't know what to do now (the airfare was quite a sum since I booked the tickets on short notice).

[Neist]

2 hours ago, monenemo said:

Hi guys, I am in a rather difficult situation now. Hopefully I can get some advice on how to deal with it. So here is what happened:

About two weeks or so ago, I visited a school where I was admitted to. Before the visit, my POI there and the department admin both assured me that the travel cost of this trip will be reimbursed to me. When I got there, I also spoke to the admin person again to make sure the reimbursement is underway. The admin person told me that the check was actually sent the day before, and that I will receive it in a week or so. The visit went well. But I decided that another option was a better fit for me. So I went with the other school. I politely declined the offer from this school and my POI and I seemed to be on good terms. I returned home thinking the reimbursement check would arrive soon. However, after more than two weeks, still no sign of the check in the mail. I emailed the admin person again to ask if the reimbursement check was indeed sent out. This time, to my surprise, she said that the reimbursement is awaiting approval and that no time estimate can be given as to when it will be approved. Her tone in the emails seemed bothered by my inquiries. Now I am starting to think that I might never get my money back, which sucks for a poor grad student like me.

Have anyone encountered something like this before? I thought people in academia are generally honest and decent, but I feel like this admin person deceived me on purpose.

I don't know what to do now (the airfare was quite a sum since I booked the tickets on short notice).

I'd just hold out a bit longer. They might have assured you that the reimbursement process was painless, but experience tells me that anything in academia works as fast as tar pitch flows. It's only been two weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if it took a few months, even.

It's not a great situation, I admit, but I think it's the nature of the academic beast.

[KLZ]

1 hour ago, Neist said:

I'd just hold out a bit longer. They might have assured you that the reimbursement process was painless, but experience tells me that anything in academia works as fast as tar pitch flows. It's only been two weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if it took a few months, even.

It's not a great situation, I admit, but I think it's the nature of the academic beast.

I second this. Although it sounds odd that an admin would tell you that the check is already in the mail and then turn around and say that it is still in the approval process, I'd wait a while longer before giving up hope. Especially if the institution is a public institution, reimbursements can take an incredibly long time to process. If you email again for an update, you can politely ask to know where in the approval process your reimbursement sits. I know that at my home institution the process goes like this initiator > dept. business manager > dept. head > college finance > university AP. Your admin person may be the business manager, but could only be the initiator (grad programs secretary or something similar). After that, checks usually get cut during regular pay periods, either biweekly or monthly. This means that it might not be up in the mail until a normal pay period passes first.

[TMP]

11 hours ago, monenemo said:

Hi guys, I am in a rather difficult situation now. Hopefully I can get some advice on how to deal with it. So here is what happened:

About two weeks or so ago, I visited a school where I was admitted to. Before the visit, my POI there and the department admin both assured me that the travel cost of this trip will be reimbursed to me. When I got there, I also spoke to the admin person again to make sure the reimbursement is underway. The admin person told me that the check was actually sent the day before, and that I will receive it in a week or so. The visit went well. But I decided that another option was a better fit for me. So I went with the other school. I politely declined the offer from this school and my POI and I seemed to be on good terms. I returned home thinking the reimbursement check would arrive soon. However, after more than two weeks, still no sign of the check in the mail. I emailed the admin person again to ask if the reimbursement check was indeed sent out. This time, to my surprise, she said that the reimbursement is awaiting approval and that no time estimate can be given as to when it will be approved. Her tone in the emails seemed bothered by my inquiries. Now I am starting to think that I might never get my money back, which sucks for a poor grad student like me.

Have anyone encountered something like this before? I thought people in academia are generally honest and decent, but I feel like this admin person deceived me on purpose.

I don't know what to do now (the airfare was quite a sum since I booked the tickets on short notice).

Rule of Grad School (and life): Do not assume the worst.  Try to see the best in people.  Stay positive.

Rule of Grad School: Academics don't deal with the processing of money.  The university bureaucracy does aka those who actually have access to the university's bank accounts.  The administrator person you spoke with has absolutely nothing to do with your relationship to your POI or other faculty members, s/he is your liaison for all bureaucratic paperwork, including finances.  You'll be amazed what a good company you're in-- the faculty are just as frustrated and clueless as you are about where the reimbursements are.

The faculty's job is to focus on the classroom, research, and service to the department/university/profession/community.

University bureaucracy and academia work on similar pacing but usually the latter is even slower (journal articles can take up to 2 years to publish for example...).  Do not worry, you will get your money back but "when" is hard to tell.

Grad School Rule: Everyone makes mistakes.  Including admin because there is so much paperwork and many layers of bureaucracy.  Be forgiving.  You're likely not the only prospective student wondering where the money is and has been in touch with the same admin (you x however how many people showed up on that weekend = annoying).

[SunshineLolipops]

Last rejection, see y'all in the funny papers