Fall 2017 applicants

[laleph]

22 hours ago, realmarcelproust said:

Is anyone still waiting to here anything at all from Cornell? From the boards it seems like in past years they've been one of the last places to release decisions, but I'd still like to know something soon either way. 

According to my extremely unscientific calculations, it seems acceptances are sent out near the end of February, and rejections are sent the first week of March... So we're almost out of waiting land. I suppose the January 1st application deadline is the reason for the later response.

[bumsydupsy]

So I got tired of waiting and the anxiety was getting to me. I had to send an email to the grad coord at umich wgo notified me of my rejection. I am very much relieved

[french_historynerd]

35 minutes ago, bumsydupsy said:

So I got tired of waiting and the anxiety was getting to me. I had to send an email to the grad coord at umich wgo notified me of my rejection. I am very much relieved

I was emailed my rejection at U Mich this morning as well. Oh well! I know where I am attending  fully funded MA and I will be back to apply to for PhD's in two years!

[zeev]

Hi all. I have a (kinda nice to have) problem. I am very lucky to have been accepted to my two top choices. I got an email from the committee at another school. They said my application is impressive and they want to have a phone conversation. The thing is, this school is closer to the bottom of my list. It's not nearly as good a fit as my top two. In short, there's almost no likelihood I'm going there. What should I write back? Should I decline the offer now? 

[bumsydupsy]

1 hour ago, zeev said:

Hi all. I have a (kinda nice to have) problem. I am very lucky to have been accepted to my two top choices. I got an email from the committee at another school. They said my application is impressive and they want to have a phone conversation. The thing is, this school is closer to the bottom of my list. It's not nearly as good a fit as my top two. In short, there's almost no likelihood I'm going there. What should I write back? Should I decline the offer now? 

Since the conversation will not make any difference.  I think you should write to them that you already accepted another offer.

[bumsydupsy]

So I wrote to the prof that interviewed me at umich to know why I was rejected. He then advised that I should do some corrections to my writing sample as I prepare for next cycle

[angesradieux]

7 hours ago, nhhistorynut said:

I think giving 6 months (maybe even a year) to claim those four free reports would be ideal. It really doesn't make sense to say "now or never" with the free option when the test costs so much. I know for me, I took the test last March, WAY before deciding where to apply. I wanted to take it early enough that I could restudy and retake it if I wasn't happy with my results.

I think a lot of people do the same thing. On the one hand, it's great because you have plenty of time to prepare for a retake if you aren't happy with your results. On the other, if you don't retake it, your free reports are almost definitely going to be wasted. But, that's probably why they make it a "do it now or pay up later" thing--they know most people will either be too paranoid to send it immediately or take the test early and not have a final list yet. In either case, they end up making much more money than they probably would if they gave us some time to claim the free reports. They're evil.

[SarahBethSortino]

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

[angesradieux]

1 hour ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

Don't give up quite yet. I think a number of programs were a bit late in releasing decisions this year, so not having heard may not mean anything. Hang in there! Hopefully you'll get some good news soon.

[MMii]

On 21/02/2017 at 9:23 PM, bumsydupsy said:

Anyone still waiting on university of michigan??

I received my rejection from U-Mich today! 

[Antebellum]

2 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

Hey at least you've been waitlisted! I've head back from 5/11 schools and it's been nothing but rejections. What I really mean to say is keep your chin up. I think the majority of people are still waiting. Talking to profs at my current school, they all tell me the same thing-- to keep waiting to hear back because plenty of schools send out admissions in March. In fact, they were surprised to hear of so many responses in February.

This is one of the ways in which I think this site can sort of hurt the process. Seeing so many people being accepted to schools I never applied to in fields of history I am not a part of somehow has me directly comparing myself to them and their successes. The majority of grad students aren't even on this site! While it's a great tool and fantastic community, I think it's crucial to not get so caught up in the site that you forget about why you are going to grad school and what you want to do.

So keep hanging in there because we are all in this together!

[laleph]

10 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

As others have said, it isn't over until it's over – and it's almost over! If it turns out you aren't accepted this year, though, apply next year. Acceptances come down to quite a bit of luck. A good friend of mine (who was in her thirties when she applied the first time) was rejected from every school she applied to the first time round. She considered giving up, but instead spent the year refining her applications, working to pay the rent, and interning in her field (architecture). The following year, she was accepted at ALL of the top architecture programs. As @Antebellum said, if you know why you want to go to graduate school, go to graduate school – of course with your eyes wide open about job prospects, heh, but don't take the results of this cycle as indicative of the results you'll get if you apply again!

Edited February 23, 2017 by laleph

[krystasonrisa]

13 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

You're going to do whatever it takes to survive a gap year and you're going to try again next year. And repeat. This process is not fully representative of your aptitude, and if you want to go to grad school, you'll get a random job to make it through the year, and try again. 

Some schools (like IU, bless them) don't make you pay an application fee if you have applied in the last 12 months, and they keep your records on file, so it is basically free to try again. (This was a pleasant surprise for me this year!)

I'm not going to sugar coat anything, rejection hurts like hell and gap years are painful and awful (especially when B2S season starts and it feels like everyone in the universe has a place but you), but because this process is so much about timing and fit and luck, sometimes all you need is to try again. These rejections do not mean it's over forever. 

And a waitlist is not a no! Hang in there! You may have a place this year  

[EricaMac]

14 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

 

I know this feeling, and I'm so sorry you're feeling it. :-( The only thing I can say is that you're not alone in this. I, too, have been waitlisted at one school and rejected from the other two (I just heard from Brandeis not 10 minutes ago that I was rejected). The one thing I learned about this process doing it twice is that there IS no "safe choice," sadly. 

When you find out it's all over, you make a new plan. That's what we do. You got this, @SarahBethSortino. 

[Neist]

15 minutes ago, EricaMac said:

The one thing I learned about this process doing it twice is that there IS no "safe choice," sadly. 

 

Very true. Even the easier-to-get-into schools often have poor or difficult-to-obtain funding, so they aren't splendid choices either.

I was very lucky with my acceptance. The history side of my degree carries my funding, and of 9 acceptances last cycle, the program only offered two applicants funding. I was a waitlist for funding, and one of the two decided on another program. It's relatively easy to get accepted into this program (I think it's around a 50% acceptance rate), but very few people can manage without funding.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Neist
Typo.

[TMP]

22 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I'm pretty much living my nightmare and my worst case scenario. I've only been waitlisted at one of the six schools I applied to. I know my "safe choice" met last week and I haven't heard anything, and historically the other two schools I applied to would have already sent out acceptances right now. In a million years I never believed I would be at the end of February and have no idea what is going to happen next year. I'm in absolute despair right now seeing everyone talk about getting at least one acceptance. I don't know what I'm going to when I finally find out it's really all over.

@SarahBethSortino and others in similar position, 

I spent 3 years in a row applying to PhD programs ( @Sigaba knows my story) back in 2009-2012. I always planned to be in a PhD program by the next fall so it was very difficult to have to string together my "gap years." I had a lot of trouble selling myself while interviewing for jobs because I kept thinking "I won't be here for more than a year..." (don't do that, convince yourself that you will stay for a while! )  

It is absolutely normal to freak out and get depressed-- whatever feelings you have are totally valid. By the time I finished my second cycle, I suffered from depression for a good while but I eventually got myself busy looking for jobs and volunteering at the local therapeutic horseback riding center (great for my horse lover's soul).  I did things that would make me feel good about myself.  You need to get a jump start on that as part of "self-care."  Right now.  It's a very important life skill to have.  What kept me going? Support network and one of my POIs (who is now my amazing adviser).  My support network got realistic but firmly believed that I belonged in academia.  That's another important life skill to have-- developing supportive personal and professional networks.

Rejections will always hurt. It will take a long time to develop a thick skin but it is necessary to do so as my MA adviser told me, "rejections are part of our life as academics."  Even full professors get rejections!  It takes a lot of luck and grit if you want to stay on this academic path.  A  year ago, I thought and planned to be away for dissertation research this year and when none of the fellowships came through, I was pretty upset.  But I realized that I was more freaked out about finishing with what funding I had left than feeling as if I --the scholar-- wasn't good enough.  I doubled down to gather enough funding to be away this semester and I'm really glad for this opportunity even though there's still a piece of me that is a bit sad that I didn't get the whole year away.   Rejections will always hurt but you will keep walking.  Many of us will end up wondering, "How different would my life be if I got this prestigious fellowship?" (or, "what if I had chosen that other school?"). It's normal.

Things happen for a rason as the adage goes.  You will also find out that for every rejection, there is a blessing.  There will be a lot of mixed blessings along the way.  

It's not over until it is over but it's never too early start on self-care and finding opportunities to fill your time as you await for that magical day to (finally) come. As you have observed, all it takes is just ONE funding acceptance.

On 2/22/2017 at 3:41 PM, zeev said:

Hi all. I have a (kinda nice to have) problem. I am very lucky to have been accepted to my two top choices. I got an email from the committee at another school. They said my application is impressive and they want to have a phone conversation. The thing is, this school is closer to the bottom of my list. It's not nearly as good a fit as my top two. In short, there's almost no likelihood I'm going there. What should I write back? Should I decline the offer now? 

If you are absolutely sure you don't want to go, simply write an e-mail saying thank you to the particular committee member (and copy the DGS) and you would like to withdraw your application as you have heard from schools that you feel are better fit for you.  End of story.  You're going to feel bad but it's all part of the process.

[betwixt&between]

I have a quick question, if someone doesn't mind offering an opinion. I received an email indicating that I have been named as an alternate admission and invited the Welcome Weekend at my top choice school. I responded with an email in which I thanked them, let them know they are my top choice, and accepted the offer to attend the Welcome Weekend, as I feel it is important to make a more personal impression with the faculty and current students. Here's my question: Would it be overkill/impolite to email the DGA again to inquire about their wait list procedures? I would appreciate any advice on this topic. PS. Is there a thread around here that offers advice on Welcome Weekend attire? 

[SarahBethSortino]

17 hours ago, TMP said:

@SarahBethSortino and others in similar position, 

I spent 3 years in a row applying to PhD programs ( @Sigaba knows my story) back in 2009-2012. I always planned to be in a PhD program by the next fall so it was very difficult to have to string together my "gap years." I had a lot of trouble selling myself while interviewing for jobs because I kept thinking "I won't be here for more than a year..." (don't do that, convince yourself that you will stay for a while! )  

It is absolutely normal to freak out and get depressed-- whatever feelings you have are totally valid. By the time I finished my second cycle, I suffered from depression for a good while but I eventually got myself busy looking for jobs and volunteering at the local therapeutic horseback riding center (great for my horse lover's soul).  I did things that would make me feel good about myself.  You need to get a jump start on that as part of "self-care."  Right now.  It's a very important life skill to have.  What kept me going? Support network and one of my POIs (who is now my amazing adviser).  My support network got realistic but firmly believed that I belonged in academia.  That's another important life skill to have-- developing supportive personal and professional networks.

Rejections will always hurt. It will take a long time to develop a thick skin but it is necessary to do so as my MA adviser told me, "rejections are part of our life as academics."  Even full professors get rejections!  It takes a lot of luck and grit if you want to stay on this academic path.  A  year ago, I thought and planned to be away for dissertation research this year and when none of the fellowships came through, I was pretty upset.  But I realized that I was more freaked out about finishing with what funding I had left than feeling as if I --the scholar-- wasn't good enough.  I doubled down to gather enough funding to be away this semester and I'm really glad for this opportunity even though there's still a piece of me that is a bit sad that I didn't get the whole year away.   Rejections will always hurt but you will keep walking.  Many of us will end up wondering, "How different would my life be if I got this prestigious fellowship?" (or, "what if I had chosen that other school?"). It's normal.

Things happen for a rason as the adage goes.  You will also find out that for every rejection, there is a blessing.  There will be a lot of mixed blessings along the way.  

It's not over until it is over but it's never too early start on self-care and finding opportunities to fill your time as you await for that magical day to (finally) come. As you have observed, all it takes is just ONE funding acceptance.

If you are absolutely sure you don't want to go, simply write an e-mail saying thank you to the particular committee member (and copy the DGS) and you would like to withdraw your application as you have heard from schools that you feel are better fit for you.  End of story.  You're going to feel bad but it's all part of the process.

Thanks for the pep talk. I didn't think I was in the mood for a pep talk but you're post helped. I find it funny to hear people referring to next year as a "gap" year. I'm 36...I've been on a gap year for about 10 years now haha. I really did think this was finally my year. BUt I emailed the school where I am waitlisted to check for a status update and received a very positive response. They are still interested and want me to come up to visit them. The DGS assured me to be patient, that they always draw from the wait list pool. So I'm holding out hope. I think I'm just emotionally exhausted right now. I'm a planner, and a lot of things hang in the balance based on the result of this (i.e., where I will live, where I'm going to ask my boyfriend to move to, where my daughter is going to go to school next year...) Its very hard to answer those questions by saying "I just don't know." My 7 year old doesn't know about anything related to a potential move, but my ex and I want to keep her informed, and we can't right now. So it's not just school, it's a myriad of other things associated with it. Thankfully I have a completely unrelated job that I love right now and great coworkers - the distraction is a blessing.

Edited February 24, 2017 by SarahBethSortino
typo

[Reaglejuice89]

Congrats to all those who had favorable news this past week. For those who were rejected my heart goes out to you all and i wish nothing but the best for those still waiting to hear or who were wait listed.

My update - I received 2 rejections in the past week from Duke and George Washington, which were pretty devastating as expected. On the positive front though, I also received an offer of admission to Georgia State, but i am currently wait listed for funding. Hopefully i'll soon be off the wait list, but it is a nerve-wracking situation for me right now. GSU would be a perfect fit for my research interests and their funding package is more generous than i thought it would be. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. If anyone here got accepted to GSU with funding, but doesn't plan to attend, please let them know ASAP.

I'm still waiting to hear from Emory and South Carolina, so think nothing but positive vibes for me, please!

Good luck my scholarly friends!

[Owly01]

3 hours ago, sreagin1 said:

Congrats to all those who had favorable news this past week. For those who were rejected my heart goes out to you all and i wish nothing but the best for those still waiting to hear or who were wait listed.

My update - I received 2 rejections in the past week from Duke and George Washington, which were pretty devastating as expected. On the positive front though, I also received an offer of admission to Georgia State, but i am currently wait listed for funding. Hopefully i'll soon be off the wait list, but it is a nerve-wracking situation for me right now. GSU would be a perfect fit for my research interests and their funding package is more generous than i thought it would be. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. If anyone here got accepted to GSU with funding, but doesn't plan to attend, please let them know ASAP.

I'm still waiting to hear from Emory and South Carolina, so think nothing but positive vibes for me, please!

Good luck my scholarly friends!

Sending positive vibes your way!

The entirety of this experience is basically waiting for bad news with the possibility of good news. Commendations on your positivity, especially toward the success of others, and here's to good news!!!

[RageoftheMonkey]

On 2/21/2017 at 2:54 PM, realmarcelproust said:

Is anyone still waiting to here anything at all from Cornell? From the boards it seems like in past years they've been one of the last places to release decisions, but I'd still like to know something soon either way. 

I received a really nice email from a POI about an hour ago letting me know that I was accepted and that the official offer would be coming in the next week or so. He said that the admissions committee met and made their final decisions earlier today, so I assume everyone should be hearing soon! I'm very lucky to get to choose between a PhD in History at Cornell and a PhD in American Studies at Yale -- it will be a hard decision to make.

[Sigaba]

On 2/22/2017 at 0:41 PM, zeev said:

Hi all. I have a (kinda nice to have) problem. I am very lucky to have been accepted to my two top choices. I got an email from the committee at another school. They said my application is impressive and they want to have a phone conversation. The thing is, this school is closer to the bottom of my list. It's not nearly as good a fit as my top two. In short, there's almost no likelihood I'm going there. What should I write back? Should I decline the offer now? 

MOO, you should  have that conversation. You should give yourself the opportunity to learn all you can so you can make the most informed decision. (As a for instance, the school that wants to talk may have made a strategic hire or have in the works an interdisciplinary program that includes nearby schools.)

My $0.02.

[etoile89]

I thought I'd chime in with my results.  I'm legit sitting at a wine bar drinking a much deserved glass of wine I won't be able to afford when I'm a Phd student.

I'm happy to announce that I was offered a spot at UConn with a full stipend for 5 years.   I will be focusing on US foreign relations in the late 19th century  

UConn was actually my first choice!

I was rejected from Northwestern (not surprising) and Columbia (not surprising).  A former advisor urged me to apply to Columbia and it was a HORRIBLE FIT.  I'm not surprised at all and it was for the best.

 

I intended on applying to Boston College and Boston University, but decided not to submit my applications after thoroughly reviewing fit and culture.  

 

Now that I got that off my chest, I'm going to dive into this thread!  I purposely avoided GradCafe after I submitted applications to save my sanity. 

[realmarcelproust]

14 hours ago, RageoftheMonkey said:

I received a really nice email from a POI about an hour ago letting me know that I was accepted and that the official offer would be coming in the next week or so. He said that the admissions committee met and made their final decisions earlier today, so I assume everyone should be hearing soon! I'm very lucky to get to choose between a PhD in History at Cornell and a PhD in American Studies at Yale -- it will be a hard decision to make.

Congrats! I just woke up to a very nice email from my POI, too!! Sounds like you have some great options between Cornell and Yale. I'm now going to have a very tough time choosing between Penn, Cornell, Rutgers, and NYU. I'm so grateful to be in this position, though. 

[laleph]

5 hours ago, realmarcelproust said:

Congrats! I just woke up to a very nice email from my POI, too!! Sounds like you have some great options between Cornell and Yale. I'm now going to have a very tough time choosing between Penn, Cornell, Rutgers, and NYU. I'm so grateful to be in this position, though. 

Same boat, different choices. But hello to (potential) Cornell cohort!