Fall 2017 applicants

[Donghai]

Has anyone got interviewed by UC Irvine?

 

[OHSP]

4 hours ago, SarahMoon said:

At this stage I'm facing a 60 hour round trip (cheapest flight and only one I can possibly manage right now), but I think it's totally worth it to get a sense of where I'll be living for the next 5+ years Here's hoping the visa works out.  Congrats on your acceptances! 

Oh maannnn. Where are you coming from? 

[MMii]

6 minutes ago, OHSP said:

Oh maannnn. Where are you coming from? 

South Africa There actually is a direct flight which is only 16 hours but, alas, not on a student's budget. Where are you coming from?

[OHSP]

17 minutes ago, SarahMoon said:

South Africa There actually is a direct flight which is only 16 hours but, alas, not on a student's budget. Where are you coming from?

Australia - if I were paying for my own flights it would be a nightmare. Can you get ESTA from SA or do you need a B1/2? 

[MMii]

2 minutes ago, OHSP said:

Australia - if I were paying for my own flights it would be a nightmare. Can you get ESTA from SA or do you need a B1/2? 

Yeah, I hear you - I'll be reimbursed for most of my travel expenses but it's the initial outlay which is tricky. I need a B1, which hopefully will be fine but takes a bit of time to organize, do the interview, process etc.

[NCAtlanticist]

11 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Since you went this route, I'll play.

You want to be a graduate student in history.  Yet you decided not to do any research on this BB to gather accurate information about where I currently work. Instead, you made an assumption that is not supported by evidence that is readily available.

You also failed to read my post correctly. The use of bold face in first quote was to indicate that the email in question came from an admin--something that you should have noticed before popping off on how "shitty" Columbia is.

Yet you insist your situational awareness isn't an issue. I disagree.

By the bye, as you say you're not an ass and as you're clearly a person who doesn't say anything on line that you'd not say in person, here's a question.  Since you feel so strongly about this matter, how did the conversation go when you shared this view with the admin in question and told her how she should do her job?

Before you respond to this post, I recommend that you check your temper and read this post. 

If you still want to stay on this path, I suggest that you take it to PM --especially if you're not going to reconsider your tone.

Or, if you prefer, the discussion can shift to the ups and downs graduate students' relationships with departmental staff or dealing with the disappointment of rejection in sustainable ways.

It is your call.

Hey, I did not email any admins. I was commenting on your assumption that the person who did receive a cold response must have been rude. YOU in fact are being presumptuous and hypocritical (to say the least). And to my point, you are continuing to assume an air of moral superiority. Your attitude and cockiness are two of the things that are bringing down academia as a whole. You are truly the epitome of snowflake. Also, I would have no problem telling you that to your face.

[Gwarth]

Hi guys - has anyone heard from Yale, Princeton or UMichigan yet? Those are the only schools I'm waiting on at the moment and I'm definitely growing a bit anxious (I just want the waiting to be over! haha)...

[MMii]

21 minutes ago, Gwarth said:

Hi guys - has anyone heard from Yale, Princeton or UMichigan yet? Those are the only schools I'm waiting on at the moment and I'm definitely growing a bit anxious (I just want the waiting to be over! haha)...

@Gwarth I've heard back from Yale but not U-Mich. It looks like some people have received acceptances to U-Mich though. 

[angesradieux]

I see an acceptance on the board from Vanderbilt. Wonder if that means I'm not getting in? Or maybe my POI is just less proactive? I don't know. Given rumors of an unusually small incoming class, I'll probably assume the silence means a rejection. I'm a little surprised, just because I thought Vanderbilt would have been a better fit than another school I've been admitted to, but I guess admissions tend to be pretty unpredictable. But I just want to know! A rejection won't totally break my heart, though. It would have been a good fit, but I think I would have had a really difficult time convincing myself to move there.

[pudewen]

12 hours ago, TMP said:

 

@Sigaba is right that your adviser and potential faculty members are very important.  They are the ones you have to put up with, especially the adviser, for 6-8 years of your life.  I am so glad that I met my potential advisers and took our meetings seriously.  They were both fantastic people but talking with them on different topics allowed me to envision the kinds of conversations we might have.  A good adviser will guide you through the PhD, a great adviser will become your mentor and think beyond the framework of the department's PhD requirements such as making sure there are classes for you to take, fighting for your continued funding, listen to your ideas and offer immediate feedback, never stops critiquing your writing, and, most important of all, do not leave you high and dry at any stage of the process including the academic job market (if that's what you want).

Graduate students tend to be hit or miss; they change from one year to another as students come in and out.  Everyone enters with different levels of motivations and goals for the PhD as well all walks of life.  Graduate students can be challenging to deal with but they are not super important for survival as your exam and dissertation committees.

In short: Look at the faculty and resources before looking at the graduate student body.

Though I respect TMP's opinion a lot, I want to offer a bit of a counterpoint to this. My experience in my PhD program has been very much the opposite - my fellow students have been substantially more important to my education, training, and professional development than any faculty member, including my advisor. Now, to be fair, this may just be the result of less than stellar mentorship and over-committed faculty members. And I'm not saying that faculty aren't important, they obviously are (even if you're at a place where you're lucky to have two conversations a semester about your dissertation with your advisor). But I chose a program with a bigger, better group of grad students in my field over a program where I would have had more committed and dedicated advisors, and I don't think I made the wrong decision. There were other advantages to the program I chose (more resources, better libraries, training in rare languages important to my research interests), but much of the work that I've done here of which I'm proudest would not have been possible without my grad student colleagues. My committee members will do what's necessary to help me get a job (my advisor's students have a very good track record employment-wise), and I got a very good classroom education my first couple years, and those really are non-negotiable. But I'm not sure I agree with TMP that having a great advisor rather than a good (or even just decent) one is necessarily more important than your fellow students (at least at a program where there are more than a handful of people in your field).

[Calgacus]

2 hours ago, NCAtlanticist said:

Hey, I did not email any admins. I was commenting on your assumption that the person who did receive a cold response must have been rude. YOU in fact are being presumptuous and hypocritical (to say the least). And to my point, you are continuing to assume an air of moral superiority. Your attitude and cockiness are two of the things that are bringing down academia as a whole. You are truly the epitome of snowflake. Also, I would have no problem telling you that to your face.

@NCAtlanticist I just want to say, given your use of Trumpian language and your location, that this kind of attitude is not going to be very well received in most places in academia. This is not meant to start a political debate, but is merely stating a fact about the culture of the profession you're seeking entry into. On a side note, it is often not professionally productive to personally berate those who are more experienced in your field, such as @Sigaba, when they are offering free advice. This is rule of thumb is applicable to basically any profession, but is especially relevant to academia because it's so small and reputation-based.

Congrats to all the admits so far!

[NCAtlanticist]

3 minutes ago, Calgacus said:

@NCAtlanticist I just want to say, given your use of Trumpian language and your location, that this kind of attitude is not going to be very well received in most places in academia. This is not meant to start a political debate, but is merely stating a fact about the culture of the profession you're seeking entry into. On a side note, it is often not professionally productive to personally berate those who are more experienced in your field, such as @Sigaba, when they are offering free advice. This is rule of thumb is applicable to basically any profession, but is especially relevant to academia because it's so small and reputation-based.

Congrats to all the admits so far!

I was not arguing with his professional advice. Obviously you should be polite and courteous to admins, that's a given. I only commented that admins should not be short in response (life is hard for everyone, that doesn't give them the right to be rude). I was pointing out a hypocritical statement Sigaba made to another poster. Sigaba ASSUMED he/she had been rude to an admin in their email. My only points were 1) that Sigaba had no idea what the user had said and 2) that making assumptions then reprimanding someone on those assumptions is wrong. As for Trumpian language, I am not sorry for saying "snowflake." It is kind of ridiculous, instead of engaging to my point about assumptions, to then pull the "I go to a Cali school and I know buzzwords" routine. I am sure that even if I said I was a liberal Democrat that it would not make much a difference. Sigaba has declared him/herself as the pinnacle of excellence and is morally superior. I am sure there is a discussion here about Foucault and the power of words (though that can be saved for another day).

[cinnamontea]

On 2/9/2017 at 9:57 PM, HouseOfMartok said:

Thanks! I got into NYU for history alone, African Diaspora field. I had an MA. My specialization is the politics, culture, and history of the African Diaspora in (post)colonial Jamaica and the Caribbean, and my critical questions tend to focus on political violence (war, rebellion, riot, protests, etc.) and the tensions between black anti-racist politics/intellectual thought and anti-colonial politics in the region. I sought to work with Ada Ferrer when I applied. 

Oh okay! That sounds really fascinating, though I have done fairly little of Africa (one of the reasons I want to study in the USA, as Africa and Latin America aren't really taught too well where I am, as far as I have experienced). But from what I can tell NYU is sending out results across regional specialisations, so I think that's that for me. Anyhow, hope your Ph.D. goes off well! 

[OHSP]

Does anyone know anything about when Princeton might put us out of our misery? 

[minion.banana]

4 hours ago, Gwarth said:

Hi guys - has anyone heard from Yale, Princeton or UMichigan yet? Those are the only schools I'm waiting on at the moment and I'm definitely growing a bit anxious (I just want the waiting to be over! haha)...

I got an acceptance notification e-mail earlier this week from UMich with my offer, though I don't think they've put anything on the online system. Nothing from Yale, though some people have posted in results that they were admitted

[stillalivetui]

On 2/8/2017 at 10:04 PM, minion.banana said:

I got my first rejection and acceptance the same day! Rejected by Brown and admitted to the University of Michigan. I haven't heard from Wisconsin or Yale, so I assume those are rejects. Still waiting on NYU, Harvard, and Georgetown (interview offer from Georgetown so I guess they're still not making decisions) . 

Current student at Michigan. The DGS told us that offers were sent out earlier this week, so congrats to all of those accepted! Let me know if you have any questions. Look forward to meeting you all at recruitment weekend. 

[cyclingonthemoon]

Although being rejected is not some subject anyone likes to dwell on, I still want to say that appropriate wording (in academic context) of a rejection letter is appreciated. Here are letters from UChicago and Brown. Which one is more respectful is quite apparent. 

From UChicago,

Dear XX,

Our faculty have carefully reviewed your application and I regret very much to inform you that we are unable to grant you admission to graduate study in XXX Department. Admission decisions to our graduate programs are made based on a combination of qualifications, preparation and academic fit with the faculty.

We thank you for considering the University of Chicago and sincerely hope that you will have the opportunity to pursue your academic interests in another graduate program.

Sincerely yours,

xx

From Brown:

Dear XX,

I regret to inform you that your application to the XXX, PHD program was not approved for admission to Brown University’s Graduate School for Fall 2017. Admission decisions are made on a comparative basis and are the result of a careful evaluation of each candidate's application, taking into account academic achievement, preparation for advanced study, and other supporting materials.
Most of the applicants to our graduate programs possess very strong qualifications indicating an ability to do advanced academic work. Our graduate programs also receive far more applications from applicants than they can accept at any one time. These programs must select the very best from their applicants pools. Unfortunately, you were not among those selected.

Thank you for your interest in Brown. I wish you the best in your academic endeavors. Sincerely,

xx

By the way, for those self-appointed coaches hanging around in this forum, your comments are not welcome.

[SarahBethSortino]

Hi everyone

Emailed the Brandeis program director to ask about timing of decisions and received the following:

 

The short answer is: very soon. We have a deep, diverse, and strong applicant pool; a limited number of fellowships we can offer in the first round (though we almost invariably do admit a few people from our wait list); and a robust committee and faculty review process. So please stay tuned.

 

Not even going to begin to try to quantify what "very soon" means, but if it helps anyone, there it is...

 

 

 

[psstein]

19 hours ago, Neist said:

I'd still hold onto hope. Last year I tried to make sense of why things happen when. I now think that such an effort is an impossible endeavor.

If you float around long enough on these forums, you hear all sorts of crazy stories about admissions experiences. There is no norm, and there's rarely consistency. Heck, my old boss' husband was accepted with funding into a program one week before school started. Someone dropped at the last minute, and he got the spot. Anything's possible. 

Thanks. I've already gotten into one of my top choice programs, and Indiana was pretty low down on places I want to go, so if I didn't get in, I didn't get in.

[L13]

I don't see a substantial difference between the Chicago and Brown letters.

[ctg7w6]

39 minutes ago, cyclingonthemoon said:

These programs must select the very best from their applicants pools. Unfortunately, you were not among those selected.

Like the poster above me, didn't find anything wrong with either one necessarily, but the juxtaposition of these two sentences in the Brown email might be rough for some people. Part of this may be because there is such an emphasis on fit that many rejected applicants chalk their rejection up to a lack of fit, whereas in reality, many applicants may be a great fit but their writing sample, GPA, or GRE is not among the very best.

[EricaMac]

1 hour ago, SarahBethSortino said:

Hi everyone

Emailed the Brandeis program director to ask about timing of decisions and received the following:

 

The short answer is: very soon. We have a deep, diverse, and strong applicant pool; a limited number of fellowships we can offer in the first round (though we almost invariably do admit a few people from our wait list); and a robust committee and faculty review process. So please stay tuned.

 

Not even going to begin to try to quantify what "very soon" means, but if it helps anyone, there it is...

 

 

 

 

This is remarkably helpful. Thank you!

[cyclingonthemoon]

1 hour ago, ctg7w6 said:

Like the poster above me, didn't find anything wrong with either one necessarily, but the juxtaposition of these two sentences in the Brown email might be rough for some people. Part of this may be because there is such an emphasis on fit that many rejected applicants chalk their rejection up to a lack of fit, whereas in reality, many applicants may be a great fit but their writing sample, GPA, or GRE is not among the very best.

Maybe you are right. If there is only me seeing it as a problem, then the problem might be on me. 

[victoriana]

7 hours ago, Calgacus said:

@NCAtlanticist I just want to say, given your use of Trumpian language and your location, that this kind of attitude is not going to be very well received in most places in academia. This is not meant to start a political debate, but is merely stating a fact about the culture of the profession you're seeking entry into. On a side note, it is often not professionally productive to personally berate those who are more experienced in your field, such as @Sigaba, when they are offering free advice. This is rule of thumb is applicable to basically any profession, but is especially relevant to academia because it's so small and reputation-based.

Congrats to all the admits so far!

On behalf of NCAtlanticist and all of my fellow North Carolinians, I expect, I cannot resist saying that I found this comment to be pretty condescending.  Yes, please, do enlighten us ignorant, Make America Great Again hat-touting Southerners as to "the culture of the profession" so that we may make no further faux pas.  Free advice from someone with more experience in academia is a wonderful thing, but snobbery is not.

 

On another note entirely, I would be happy to chat with anyone who has been admitted to Vanderbilt.  

[emhafe]

It seems unlikely anyone would have news since I haven't seen their name come up, but I might as well check! Loyola University Chicago? Any Chicagoans who heard something through the grapevine? (I'll admit, I had to google the proper term).