Are Chicago and SUNY Buffalo done with making offers?

[tortola23]

On 3/11/2010 at 9:54 AM, tortola23 said:

Just emailed the department to ask if they're doing any notifications soon. They've had the apps forever and they've probably finished with their decisions, so I think they need to process everything and notify everyone. Kind of sick of not being able to plan the next year of my life because they can't be bothered to send some automated emails.

Okay, according to Sophia Cavanos in the office, Buffalo has not finished making decisions, which seems to imply that there will be more admits and a lot more rejections (obviously). Wait wait wait.

 

[hadunc]

Okay, according to Sophia Cavanos in the office, Buffalo has not finished making decisions, which seems to imply that there will be more admits and a lot more rejections (obviously). Wait wait wait.

This seems a little unfair of them since the prospectives week is the 17th through the 19th. That doesn't give you guys much time to visit and make a decision if you're admitted. Good luck to everyone still waiting!

[johnnyleston]

could be by time period, could be that we are applying to buffalo's strenghts so they have more to go through in our respective piles. or it could be all the faculty have been on an extended bender, getting wasted at one of zizek's epic parties. who the hell knows.

but i am ready to be done jumping every time the mail comes through the door.

Edited March 11, 2010 by johnnyleston

[fj20]

I have some questions/theories, based on an examination of the results from SUNY Buffalo the past couple years. Looking at them, I'm kind of doubtful that there are going to be any more admits to the PhD program, except off the waitlist: the trend seems to be that in March they accept a few PhD applicants into the MA program, as well as a few into the PhD program off the waitlist. Does anyone have reason to believe there's a good chance they'll send an actual PhD acceptance?

Also, does anyone know Buffalo's policy on unfunded PhDs? Do they offer much opportunity of funding or fellowships in later years, or is it pretty much out of your pocket all 5 years? (Although frankly, in Buffalo's case, for a state-resident, an unfunded PhD doesn't seem all that impractical: it's basically the cost of 1 undergrad year at a private school (about 8K a year).

Sorry about all the questions; just trying to predict what my options will be.

Edited March 13, 2010 by fj20

[strokeofmidnight]

There seems to be some etiquette against asking this question, but do those of you who got into SUNY Buffalo mind sharing some of your credentials? i.e. GPAs, where you got your B.A., GRE scores, that kind of thing? Can't help but be curious about that.

Honestly, of all the schools, this information would be LEAST useful a program as hip-and-cool as SUNY Buffalo. I was a former PhD admit. The GPA that I've overheard from fellow admits ranged from the 2-something to a perfect 4.0, and the GRE's are in the same wild range. Somewhere in the website, I think Buffalo more-or-less tell you that they don't give a damn. I can't possibly overemphasize how little they care about these stats.

If I seem insistent on this, it's because that after 3 rounds of application, it's painfully, painfully obvious to me that not only is this info rarely helpful, but actually steer you in the wrong direction should you (or anyone going off of this info) decide to reapply in the future. I know what it's like to compare yourself against others, trying endlessly to figure out how you stack up and what your chances might be. It's...I don't know how to put it more plainly...it's completely detrimental, not only to yourself, but also to the sense of collegiality that (I, at least) look for in any grad program. Don't go there. It won't help, and it definitely can hurt.

Good luck with all your applications, I am sure there are a few spots left for Buffalo (going by gradcafe results, I would think around 4 are left of the stipulated 11).

It's almost possible to guess how many offers have gone out purely by the numbers on grad cafe. (The dates, especially when compared historically, can be slightly more illuminating, though even those are subject to variations from year to year). Most accepted students won't post on grad cafe. And almost all programs will make offers than they have spots--sometimes 2-3 times as many offers versus spots, though the tight budgets this year might change that.

still no word here. waiting to hear back from rutgers, buffalo, & cornell.

I'm not 100% sure that Buffalo is done notifying its accepted students, but based on what I know of their cycles, unless one has been waitlisted, it's rather unlikely that more PhD acceptances will go out. Buffalo will probably notify their MA acceptees soon--many of whom are taken from the PhD applicant pool. Unless they're doing things *completely* differently this year (which I somewhat doubt--also, their visitation weekend is coming up soon), the current review is probably for the MA slots.

Rutgers and Cornell are both done notifying, I believe. They both have waitlists, but I think all waitlisted students have also already been notified.

it's been a very tough year all around.

I have some questions/theories, based on an examination of the results from SUNY Buffalo the past couple years. Looking at them, I'm kind of doubtful that there are going to be any more admits to the PhD program, except off the waitlist: the trend seems to be that in March they accept a few PhD applicants into the MA program, as well as a few into the PhD program off the waitlist. Does anyone have reason to believe there's a good chance they'll send an actual PhD acceptance?

Also, does anyone know Buffalo's policy on unfunded PhDs? Do they offer much opportunity of funding or fellowships in later years, or is it pretty much out of your pocket all 5 years? (Although frankly, in Buffalo's case, for a state-resident, an unfunded PhD doesn't seem all that impractical: it's basically the cost of 1 undergrad year at a private school (about 8K a year).

Sorry about all the questions; just trying to predict what my options will be.

The speculation in your first paragraph completely matches my not-inconsiderable experience with Buffalo's process. There's always a chance things could change any given year, but this has definitely been their timeline/procedure in past years.

I didn't prod too much into Buffalo's funding situation (for the PhD, at least. The MA is completely unfunded). My sense (which could be completely off) is that international students are often accepted without funding for the PhD. (Personally, I think that's shockingly unethical, but that's another story altogether). I don't know of American PhD students who were not funded there...but that could just be because I haven't run across any. Did they make you an unfunded offer? I would note, however, that unless you're guaranteed some teaching later on, you might not want to take it. Even if you're comfortable paying for an PhD, the lack of teaching would catch up to you on the job market.

Edited March 14, 2010 by strokeofmidnight

[tortola23]

Looks like another person was admitted today...? If you're on here, acceptee, was your app updated on 3/16/2010, or did you just now see that it was updated earlier?

[tortola23]

FINALLY rejected from Buffalo via the website. "Reject--3/22/10" in the status line. Took them long enough.