UC Berkeley

[cleisthenes]

Anyone applying? Anyone heard anything back? Looks like in past years they have notified via Phone late January, or possibly by email around this time in Feb?

Oh waiting, what a foul beast!

[yinyangwriter]

Anyone applying? Anyone heard anything back? Looks like in past years they have notified via Phone late January, or possibly by email around this time in Feb?

Oh waiting, what a foul beast!

I thought they were done with their admissions? I was rejected (because I screwed up my app) and someone else I know was accepted...all in mid January. The UCBerkeley people emphasized that they complete their admissions process very quickly (within two weeks basically of receiving all the applications). I applied to Plant Bio (for the microbiology) and the accepted person was chem-eng.

[policysecond]

I thought they were done with their admissions? I was rejected (because I screwed up my app) and someone else I know was accepted...all in mid January. The UCBerkeley people emphasized that they complete their admissions process very quickly (within two weeks basically of receiving all the applications). I applied to Plant Bio (for the microbiology) and the accepted person was chem-eng.

I think the person above was talking about art history programs...

[artemislyre]

UC Berkeley isn't offering any funding for any of incomming students this year...the department is broke (ain't no joke). Funding for current students has even been cut (the situation is so dire ). Unless you can bring your own support, I don't know how wise it would be to accept any offers from berkeley, at least this year.

Edited February 7, 2010 by artemislyre

[artemislyre]

UC Berkeley isn't offering any funding for any of incomming students this year...the department is broke (ain't no joke). Funding for current students has even been cut (the situation is so dire ). Unless you can bring your own support, I don't know how wise it would be to accept any offers from berkeley, at least this year.

Just wanted to add, there may be a change in teh situation, one never knows for certain. also, if you receive a university wide fellowship (rather than departmental) that may also fund you for a time

[artschoolhopeful]

Does anyone know if this Berkeley not funding art history grad students thing will extend to other UC schools, namely UCLA?

[jmb04]

Does anyone know if this Berkeley not funding art history grad students thing will extend to other UC schools, namely UCLA?

I don't know about this year but this is very likely. The UC system (and the state) is broke. This really bums me out.

[cleisthenes]

I would be quite shocked if there were no funding for graduate students. It's economically illogical. Graduate students cost relatively little in comparison to real professors, even adjunct ones, and yet usually take on a large undergraduate teaching load. The undergraduates are the ones that bring in the money (especially now, after berkeley has raised tuition 30%). Why would you NOT continue to accept graduate students as cheap teaching labor?

Certainly, I have friends that have been admitted to other departments, although I admit their funding offers haven't arrived yet. It will be interesting to see what happens. But you have to think about this in an economic way: the more grad students they have, the higher enrollment, the more income.

[artschoolhopeful]

I would be quite shocked if there were no funding for graduate students. It's economically illogical. Graduate students cost relatively little in comparison to real professors, even adjunct ones, and yet usually take on a large undergraduate teaching load. The undergraduates are the ones that bring in the money (especially now, after berkeley has raised tuition 30%). Why would you NOT continue to accept graduate students as cheap teaching labor?

Certainly, I have friends that have been admitted to other departments, although I admit their funding offers haven't arrived yet. It will be interesting to see what happens. But you have to think about this in an economic way: the more grad students they have, the higher enrollment, the more income.

YEAH! Maybe this is my extreme stupidity about financial matters speaking, but I assumed that schools would accept MORE graduate students as very cheap labor for these yummy money cow undergrads that we all once were. I mean, I'm obviously wrong, but confused nonetheless.

[georgica2]

YEAH! Maybe this is my extreme stupidity about financial matters speaking, but I assumed that schools would accept MORE graduate students as very cheap labor for these yummy money cow undergrads that we all once were. I mean, I'm obviously wrong, but confused nonetheless.

Even though funded graduate students are relatively cheaper than professors, they're unlikely to fire tenured or tenure-track profs unless it's absolutely necessary. Also, there are going to be people who accept offers from Berkeley unfunded because it's their dream school/they have outside funding/are independently wealthy and can afford it. Lastly, state school budgets are often set by the state government rather than the university itself, and they may have limited control over how much funding they are allowed to offer/what each department gets.

[justagrrrl]

I have talked directly to Professors in the UCLA art history department; they both said that funding for new graduate students was secure and no where near as diminished as everyone feared it would be.

[artschoolhopeful]

First of all, you made my day.

Second of all, was this a recent conversation? After the tuition and fees increase hoopla? I met with some UCLA professors in late October, and they did not seem too concerned about the budget at that moment either. One of them did point out to me that they do lose some great students because they are not able to offer as stable or substantial funding packets as other schools with similar academic caliber for art history. I also talked to another graduate student who was accepted to two of the programs I am applying to and chose not to go to UCLA. She told me one (amongst a few) of the reasons was that the other school offered her much better funding while UCLA remained vague about funding past her first year.

So we'll see what happens.

I have talked directly to Professors in the UCLA art history department; they both said that funding for new graduate students was secure and no where near as diminished as everyone feared it would be.

[veroordeeld]

First of all, you made my day.

Second of all, was this a recent conversation? After the tuition and fees increase hoopla? I met with some UCLA professors in late October, and they did not seem too concerned about the budget at that moment either. One of them did point out to me that they do lose some great students because they are not able to offer as stable or substantial funding packets as other schools with similar academic caliber for art history. I also talked to another graduate student who was accepted to two of the programs I am applying to and chose not to go to UCLA. She told me one (amongst a few) of the reasons was that the other school offered her much better funding while UCLA remained vague about funding past her first year.

So we'll see what happens.

Just FYI, the UCLA dept coordinator told me applicants will hear about decisions "within the next week or so." Oy oy oy...

[cleisthenes]

Any news? Looks like we're well past the time when they typically give out offers, yet no activity on the results page. Perhaps no one on these boards was made an offer? Any insider info?

[Oedipa Maas]

I recently emailed the Graduate Affairs Officer to give notice about my address change and inquire about when decisions will go out. She replied this morning and said "decisions should be finalized in 2-3 weeks."