waiting for GSAS Harvard response

[curehp]

Yes, I called them yesterday and they said they have finalized decisions and are sending them out and they let me know over the phone that I got rejected.

[curehp]

Well, maybe that's a good sign for you. When I called them I didn't even ask the results, they asked me if I wanted to know over the phone.

[Torisen]

I tried calling both last week and this week. Without asking my name, they told me both times that I would have to wait until I received notice in the mail. Last week, they told me everything had gone out by the 15th. Today, they said "You should receive something by the end of next week."

[jms123]

Many programs do not utilize faculty contact and send decisions via regular post so not being contacted by a faculty member is not an indication you were not accepted. I was never contacted by the school I am attending in the fall, I received a letter in the mail and then called my advisor.

Every school is different.

[Torisen]

I'm telling myself it would take longer for a thicker package to arrive than a regular letter, but I'm probably just fooling myself.

[Torisen]

The mail just came today - still nothing.

[Torisen]

Well, still nothing from Harvard, but I've now heard from all 10 of the other schools I applied to. Harvard is now my only remaining hope.

[Torisen]

I applied to U Penn, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Cornell, MIT, Duke, Chicago, Northwestern, UCLA, Stanford and Harvard.

800/800 GRE. 4.0 GPA upper-division undergrad and MBA. Seemed like I should catch on somewhere.

[lonelilylana]

Torisen do you have alot of work experience?

[Torisen]

Torisen do you have alot of work experience?

Non-academic, yes. I'm a product manager at a medium-sized firm, and have some experinece in both government and a small start-up. One of my former professors thinks my age (36) may be a negative factor. Also, I was a non-traditional student - started in college, did only so-so, left, came back and got my degrees later.

[Torisen]

What a greate test results. My results are a little modest. However, my GPA are not compare with your. I have heard that the system of knowledge estimation is very different.

We are crossed in UPenn,Cornell and Harvard.

Note: the last day of dicissions in Cornell is 1 of april. After that date they do not submitt decissions.

If you receive no answer from there, you should call them.

I've got rejections from everyone except Harvard now, just waiting to see what they say.

[Torisen]

Nothing yet. I see a bunch of results posted as people having received rejection notices yesterday, so I guess I shouldn't be too optimistic.

[purplebird]

Nothing yet. I see a bunch of results posted as people having received rejection notices yesterday, so I guess I shouldn't be too optimistic.

Did you see deas rejections in them? I dont.... I know it is too late to be hopeful.

[Torisen]

Well, that's it - rejected everywhere. No idea what I'm doing now. Guess it's time to figure that out.

[grilledcheese]

I called the Harvard GSAS this morning and they refused to let me know the decision over the phone. They said the letters were mailed last week. Harvard is the last and final school I'm waiting to hear from. I don't feel too optimistic; the mailman should be here in a couple of hours. :cry:

[grilledcheese]

Well, that's it - rejected everywhere. No idea what I'm doing now. Guess it's time to figure that out.

I'm real sorry to hear that. I've also been rejected by 8 of the 9 schools I applied to. It's a bloodbath out there. I suppose if 300 people and more are applying for 6-9 spots (for PhDs), that makes it difficult for everyone. And now I'll have to end up going to the one I didn't want to at all.

[lonelilylana]

Sorry to hear that mate. I've basically given up hope at this point on this side. Someone essentially went if so many people have heard then its likely I've been either rejected or waitlisted. c'est la vie. I suppose I'll have to wait for University of Sussex and the LSE to get back to me. Hopefully LSE

[Torisen]

Oh, it is a pity. May be next year?

p.s.I receive nothinf yet

I'm going to see what schools, if any, still have an open admission window. And see what other career options are open.

[Torisen]

I called the Harvard GSAS this morning and they refused to let me know the decision over the phone. They said the letters were mailed last week. Harvard is the last and final school I'm waiting to hear from. I don't feel too optimistic; the mailman should be here in a couple of hours. :cry:

Yeah, I was originally told everything went out by the 15th, but my postmark of the 26th(!) means they were, at best, mistaken.

[Torisen]

I'm real sorry to hear that. I've also been rejected by 8 of the 9 schools I applied to. It's a bloodbath out there. I suppose if 300 people and more are applying for 6-9 spots (for PhDs), that makes it difficult for everyone. And now I'll have to end up going to the one I didn't want to at all.

Thanks... remember that there is more to life than just the path you started down, and don't do it if you're going to be miserable for the next however-many years. I've known quite a few people who left graduate school without completing because they were terribly unhappy. But, also keep in mind that there is a lot more to the educational experience than the name on your diploma, and you can have a very happy and satisfying life and education at most institutions - you largely get out of it what you put into it, and in the end, for most people, the name of the school matters little if at all.

[grilledcheese]

Thanks, Torisen. This has been the most inspiring thing I've heard in this entire month.

I think I'll end up going to the school that was my backup of a backup (you get the idea). I am trying to tell myself that I'm fortunate to get accepted anywhere at all and with funding. Also, I love my field of study and I cannot imagine not doing it. I imagine that we shall all find our way, despite these rejections.

By the way, I called the Harvard GSAS at 4:30 PM (they answer calls from 2 to 5 every day) and the guy told me that I should call them if I don't receive my letter for another week. This is nice -- keep us dangling from the end of a rapidly-fraying rope.

:roll:

[grilledcheese]

I do not understand Harvard politics.

The letter can be lost and they should tell results by phone. Why don't they tell results by mail or phone>

The reason they don't let us know the results by e-mail is because (and I've read this somewhere) they had a situation back in 2002 when the application decision e-mails went to the junk mail folders of the recipients, so they decided that postal mail was more reliable. As for phone results, well, I'm with you on that one. Get us out of our misery already! :x

[StudentofThoth]

For my 2 cents.

I am guessing with graduate schools, particularly Harvard, when you get your reply depends on the department. I got official letter from Harvard in mid-February, preceded by unofficial e-mail from department.

As far as I understand it, it is the department that decides, and sends their list to GSAS, for final approval. So the department would know first. It is possible you could e-mail or call your department directly.

[Torisen]

Well - I found several schools accepting late applicants. Accepted at UC Irvine, with a Teaching Assistant position. Yay!

[Torisen]

UCSB with full fund suppoting.

Moreover, BU has accepted me.

Hey, Congrats - my favorite professor got his PhD there.