Welcome to the 2015-2016 Cycle!

[HardPromises]

Finally received the much-discussed Vandy email asking if I'm still interested. Not sure how I'll respond, as it's not my top choice at this point, but I'm still considering it.

[VMcJ]

42 minutes ago, HardPromises said:

Finally received the much-discussed Vandy email asking if I'm still interested. Not sure how I'll respond, as it's not my top choice at this point, but I'm still considering it.

Did they set a date for you to answer? If they did, I think you should say you are not certain yet and need to hear from several other schools. If not, I recommend you to carefully evaluate Vanderbilt against the others that accepted you until you are 100% sure. Try to talk to Vanderbilt former and current students in your field, perhaps they can help you decide more quickly.

[Unimpressed3D]

So I got my first rejection today, from Brown. Disappointing, as they were one of my top choices.

So far, I've only heard from them and Oregon State, which accepted me. (Glad that email came first. :D) They didn't give me any kind of time frame, though, to make a decision. Should I just assume I can let them know by April 15th?

 

[SeniorUnderGrad]

32 minutes ago, Unimpressed3D said:

So I got my first rejection today, from Brown. Disappointing, as they were one of my top choices.

So far, I've only heard from them and Oregon State, which accepted me. (Glad that email came first. :D) They didn't give me any kind of time frame, though, to make a decision. Should I just assume I can let them know by April 15th?

 

How did you hear from brown? I haven't heard anything yet nor did I think anyone else. 

[cableknitmanatee]

5 minutes ago, SeniorUnderGrad said:

How did you hear from brown? I haven't heard anything yet nor did I think anyone else. 

I think they might have accidentally posted on the wrong subforum based on their profile and the fact that Brown English notified people today. As far as I know, no one has heard anything from Brown Political Science yet, but I'm hoping that we will by the end of this week.

[SeniorUnderGrad]

34 minutes ago, cableknitmanatee said:

I think they might have accidentally posted on the wrong subforum based on their profile and the fact that Brown English notified people today. As far as I know, no one has heard anything from Brown Political Science yet, but I'm hoping that we will by the end of this week.

Yea that makes a lot more sense. I'm on mobile and didn't even see that they're English literature ?

[Unimpressed3D]

Whoops, sorry, everyone. I just replied to a thread I saw in the sidebar on the homepage...heading over to the English subforums...

[ultraultra]

3 hours ago, HardPromises said:

Finally received the much-discussed Vandy email asking if I'm still interested. Not sure how I'll respond, as it's not my top choice at this point, but I'm still considering it.

If there's even a small chance you'd go there, I'd say tell them they're still on your list. They're not asking for a signed contract or anything, they just want to know if its a waste of their time to pursue you (and if you still think there's a chance you'll go there, depending on what they throw at you, then it's not a waste of their time). If its a funding thing you could even say you'd need them to match a certain offer before you'll consider going.

[notcoachrjc]

^ Can you delete your post? The rumors site had some rumors and innuendo of bullying going on at UWisc a while ago, so the reference is likely to that. Nevertheless, they're unsubstantiated allegations -- no reasons to out someone. Plus, it's already deleted from the results page. 

[midweststudent]

24 minutes ago, notcoachrjc said:

^ Can you delete your post? The rumors site had some rumors and innuendo of bullying going on at UWisc a while ago, so the reference is likely to that. Nevertheless, they're unsubstantiated allegations -- no reasons to out someone. Plus, it's already deleted from the results page. 

Can do!

Well, sorta. I couldn't find how to delete the post, but I removed the photo. Thanks for the clarification. 

[theresgonnabe(goodtimes)]

10 hours ago, notcoachrjc said:

^ Can you delete your post? The rumors site had some rumors and innuendo of bullying going on at UWisc a while ago, so the reference is likely to that. Nevertheless, they're unsubstantiated allegations -- no reasons to out someone. Plus, it's already deleted from the results page. 

I'd make the same comment about yaygrad's post above. If this is a case of people being unpleasant to each other, it's probably best not to speculate on the internet even if you're doing it out of innocent curiosity. It could come across as spreading rumours or even further bullying because it might seem like people are dragging up something that people want to leave behind.

No hard feelings, it's just probably best if this is left to private conversations with individual students/faculty rather than some semi-anonymised, recycled anecdote!

Edited February 17, 2016 by theresgonnabe(goodtimes)

[elw]

UW-Madison prospectives should know to ask about the departmental climate.

[Determinedandnervous]

Anyone have any insider info on Cornell or Rochester? I know I probably sound like a broken record asking about Rochester, but I'm really not sure what's going on there.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Determinedandnervous

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

1 hour ago, yaygrad said:

Definitely. But how to do that? Based on rumors, the student who is doing work is being thrown under the bus. If Pevehouse says, I coauthor with students look at example A, do I ask about it then?

I think there are a few ways to go about this on an admits day if you're concerned about collegiality. First and foremost it's a given that not everyone will get along, that students will have have stressful episodes with supervisors at some point or another. It's kind of unavoidable with the pressure of a PhD. But I think there are ways to get a sense of how well the department works together on a day to day basis. Ask people if they go to lunch with their colleagues, do the graduate students have regular events sponsored by the department that are well attended and fun (wine and cheeses, karaoke nights, trivia nights etc.). You can also ask what their hiring strategy is - and I would ask multiple people this question as it can be an indication of whether people see the department heading in the same direction, or what their vision is for themselves in a few years with departures or prospective new elements for their program.

I would ask people how regularly they meet with their supervisor or student (a question to ask both current grad students and professors). Are meetings sparse but long (an hour every few weeks) or frequent and short (every week, 10-15 minute check in)? Ask current graduate students if they've been able to get feedback on non-course related papers from different professors, what kind of RA work do they do. I would also ask profs who have TAs how they prefer to handle that relationship (hands off TA does all the grading and fields all emails, or regular meetings to check in about students' progress, ask questions etc.). If you're a prospective female candidate, I would also ask female students and professors what the atmosphere is like, if the program is accommodating to women or if they've encountered barriers.

At the end of the day, these places want you to be happy attending their program. Sure they might gloss over some issues, but the admitted students' days are generally quite long, with a lot of meetings. People tend to open up.

 

On a side note, I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this just yet: when it comes to stipends, do most places consider your RA/TA salary as already included in your stipend (i.e. you get an RAship but your monthly funding is the same because it's your stipend) or additional to it (monthly pay is stipend + RA work, or TA work). Has anyone asked whether they are legally obligated not to hold another job on top of their funding package if they accept their office? I've heard that a few places do this, I just want to be sure.

Edited February 17, 2016 by CarefreeWritingsontheWall

[doubledyno]

9 minutes ago, CarefreeWritingsontheWall said:

 

On a side note, I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this just yet: when it comes to stipends, do most places consider your RA/TA salary as already included in your stipend (i.e. you get an RAship but your monthly funding is the same because it's your stipend) or additional to it (monthly pay is stipend + RA work, or TA work). Has anyone asked whether they are legally obligated not to hold another job on top of their funding package if they accept their office? I've heard that a few places do this, I just want to be sure.

Been lurking for a while, I've been admitted to UNC-Chapel Hill, and they consider the stipend essentially payment for TA duties of 12-15 hours per week, except in the summer, where it's assumed you're pursuing research or editing papers for publication etc. As if it's all a salary for work rather than a stipend + additional pay for TA work. I don't think that's necessarily the case anywhere else though, as I've also been admitted to Utah. They're pursuing funding for me, and I get the impression that they offer scholarships, and then TA pay is given on top of that. Not 100% sure though.

The last question is interesting. I've certainly seen no indication that you're forbidden from taking other work from Chapel Hill, but I also haven't asked. It would be nice to have the flexibility to do temp work over a break if I was really in a jam with money.

[IndEnth]

The funding really differs from place to place. I have both kind of offers: NYU for example offers a stipend,  and should I do a TAship, I'll get extra cash. UCR on the other hand only offers a TA spot, so that I can use that money to pay my own tuition (with no basic stipend guaranteed).

 

About work: Some places (like Notre Dame, for example) are super strict and prohibit anything that's not TAship or RAships. Others, like some lower ranked UCs, allow a  number of hours, and beyond that you need permission (which will probably be based on the kind of work and your grades).

 

But it's an important factor for me to find out about opportunities to work as well, considering that I'm a working professional right now, and with just a couple of hours of freelance work per week, I could considerably up my stipend.

[s1994]

My college is just locked down because of an armed escapee. Fun time. 

I can only handle an offer right now, if Yale is releasing their decisions this week  

[theresgonnabe(goodtimes)]

16 minutes ago, CarefreeWritingsontheWall said:

On a side note, I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this just yet: when it comes to stipends, do most places consider your RA/TA salary as already included in your stipend (i.e. you get an RAship but your monthly funding is the same because it's your stipend) or additional to it (monthly pay is stipend + RA work, or TA work). Has anyone asked whether they are legally obligated not to hold another job on top of their funding package if they accept their office? I've heard that a few places do this, I just want to be sure.

I think it might be different for international and domestic students. Student visas often come with a maximum number of work hours and sometimes TAships max out those hours, while domestic students can take on more paid work.

[finalsenator]

2 minutes ago, IndEnth said:

UCR on the other hand only offers a TA spot, so that I can use that money to pay my own tuition (with no basic stipend guaranteed).

 

Ouch! Not even a tuition waiver? >_<

[Erpeno]

1 minute ago, s1994 said:

My college is just locked down because of an armed escapee. Fun time. 

I can only handle an offer right now, if Yale is releasing their decisions this week  

Another day, another empty inbox.  And repeated reloads on the results page.

Yale (and Harvard) take their time about it all.

[IndEnth]

Also, got an offer from UMD. Very nice letter. And  first school that said they're open to negotiations because they really want to compete for the best students. 

Edited February 17, 2016 by IndEnth

[yaygrad]

34 minutes ago, CarefreeWritingsontheWall said:

I think there are a few ways to go about this on an admits day if you're concerned about collegiality. First and foremost it's a given that not everyone will get along, that students will have have stressful episodes with supervisors at some point or another. It's kind of unavoidable with the pressure of a PhD. But I think there are ways to get a sense of how well the department works together on a day to day basis. Ask people if they go to lunch with their colleagues, do the graduate students have regular events sponsored by the department that are well attended and fun (wine and cheeses, karaoke nights, trivia nights etc.). You can also ask what their hiring strategy is - and I would ask multiple people this question as it can be an indication of whether people see the department heading in the same direction, or what their vision is for themselves in a few years with departures or prospective new elements for their program.

I would ask people how regularly they meet with their supervisor or student (a question to ask both current grad students and professors). Are meetings sparse but long (an hour every few weeks) or frequent and short (every week, 10-15 minute check in)? Ask current graduate students if they've been able to get feedback on non-course related papers from different professors, what kind of RA work do they do. I would also ask profs who have TAs how they prefer to handle that relationship (hands off TA does all the grading and fields all emails, or regular meetings to check in about students' progress, ask questions etc.). If you're a prospective female candidate, I would also ask female students and professors what the atmosphere is like, if the program is accommodating to women or if they've encountered barriers.

At the end of the day, these places want you to be happy attending their program. Sure they might gloss over some issues, but the admitted students' days are generally quite long, with a lot of meetings. People tend to open up.

 

On a side note, I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this just yet: when it comes to stipends, do most places consider your RA/TA salary as already included in your stipend (i.e. you get an RAship but your monthly funding is the same because it's your stipend) or additional to it (monthly pay is stipend + RA work, or TA work). Has anyone asked whether they are legally obligated not to hold another job on top of their funding package if they accept their office? I've heard that a few places do this, I just want to be sure.

 

idk. I feel that prospective weekend are the days that faculty sweep everything under the table. 

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

9 minutes ago, yaygrad said:

 

idk. I feel that prospective weekend are the days that faculty sweep everything under the table. 

I expected this, but didn't encounter it at a program I've already visited. Why would they want you to attend a program where you'll be miserable, considering all the money on the table? As much as they want to show boat their program, there are tough realities in a lot of places. Asking more than one person the same questions can get you a good sense of what's going on. I had the most frank discussions during my faculty dinner at the very end of the day.

GWU has a contract stipulation that you take no extra work on top of your stipend, which is your TA/RA/fellowship pay - they allocate what you're doing each semester, and then offer $2500 for summer RA work. I was really surprised to hear this so I've been making an effort to hear back from other programs about such side details. I'm used to stipulations on additional hours, I have such a contract in one of my MA grants. There are some ways around it (to be paid in stipends as opposed to hourly work) but it's stopped me from taking a few contract RA positions and consulting options. I suspect I'll have limitations as I'll be an international student. Does anyone have experience in this regard?

[wb3060]

27 minutes ago, IndEnth said:

Also, got an offer from UMD. Very nice letter. And  first school that said they're open to negotiations because they really want to compete for the best students. 

I got an offer as well. Did yours mention a visit day? 

[kafcat]

1 hour ago, Determinedandnervous said:

Anyone have any insider info on Cornell or Rochester? I know I probably sound like a broken record asking about Rochester, but I'm really not sure what's going on there.

 Yes Cornell is meeting today regarding admissions so we should be hearing fairly soon. Been contacted by a potential POI and thats how I know what's going on.