NSGoddessQ Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Got an email acceptance from Pitt this morning! They were kind of my safety school (not as many people in my field, but well-placed geographically, and I *heart* Pgh), but it's still nice to hear that people are interested. (Actually, I would consider myself very lucky to be able to pick up a position on faculty there someday...but that's a long, long time ahead in the future. )
jaw17 Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Congrats to everyone who's been seeing the acceptances starting to roll in. For those who haven't, what is your policy on calling to end the suspense at places where others have already heard back?
The Dude Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Congrats to everyone who's been seeing the acceptances starting to roll in. For those who haven't, what is your policy on calling to end the suspense at places where others have already heard back? If I don't get anything in the mail by tomorrow, I'll call or email the departments. I live in the same geographic region as the schools, so if they mailed anything last week (good or bad), it should be here by today or tomorrow.
dmh26 Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Got an email acceptance from Pitt this morning! They were kind of my safety school (not as many people in my field, but well-placed geographically, and I *heart* Pgh), but it's still nice to hear that people are interested. (Actually, I would consider myself very lucky to be able to pick up a position on faculty there someday...but that's a long, long time ahead in the future. ) Hey there, I am an undergrad senior at Pitt now. I am also applying to grad schools for history. Just curious, who did you want to work with at Pitt?
Cornell07 Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 If I don't get anything in the mail by tomorrow, I'll call or email the departments. I live in the same geographic region as the schools, so if they mailed anything last week (good or bad), it should be here by today or tomorrow. A fair number of schools simply have not made all of their decisions. Just to take a snapshot: According to their website, BU is only about halfway done with making their decisions (roughly 15 decisions every other day, with 210 applications). Columbia may not finish making all decisions until Thursday (or so the dept. secretary says). Looking responses at previous years, Harvard may not available until March 1. If more than one person posts on the admissions board from one of my schools, then I typically call the department.
The Dude Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 A fair number of schools simply have not made all of their decisions. Just to take a snapshot: According to their website, BU is only about halfway done with making their decisions (roughly 15 decisions every other day, with 210 applications). Columbia may not finish making all decisions until Thursday (or so the dept. secretary says). Looking responses at previous years, Harvard may not available until March 1. If more than one person posts on the admissions board from one of my schools, then I typically call the department. Your sig says you got turned down from Berkeley. Did you find out via phone and do you know if they have indeed sent out letters yet? I'm impatiently checking the snail mail box every half hour. Due to yesterday's holiday, I'm sure the mail will come later than usual!
Cornell07 Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 The Dude: You can call the history office directly and they will tell you. Good luck!
The Dude Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 The Dude: You can call the history office directly and they will tell you. Good luck! I bit the bullet and called Berkeley - rejected. I was a bit shocked, but oh well... Also, she said the letters were mailed late last week - some on TH and some on FR. Better luck to everyone else!
eahistory Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 So I heard from my first school today, Michigan State. Rejected....I know there are more apps still out there, but it still hurts. According to their letter, it was a very large pool of applicants.
NSGoddessQ Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Hey there, I am an undergrad senior at Pitt now. I am also applying to grad schools for history. Just curious, who did you want to work with at Pitt? Hey dmh: Primarily Maurine Greenwald; maybe also Richard Oestricher. (I do late 19th/early 20th c. US history, with an interest in women's history.) Any info you have about them would of course be great!
dmh26 Posted February 19, 2008 Posted February 19, 2008 Hey dmh: Primarily Maurine Greenwald; maybe also Richard Oestricher. (I do late 19th/early 20th c. US history, with an interest in women's history.) Any info you have about them would of course be great! Hey there, I study Russian history, so I worked with Bill Chase. I never had any of the two professors you mentioned, but I hear Oestricher is hard for undergrads. Also, look into Ted Muller, he studies urban planning in the US and is super nice! And Rob Rock does Sports history. They are both great teachers and very friendly.
missycari Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Hi! I've been lurking since I discovered this site last week. I thought I would finally say hello. I'm applying for European history.
canadiana Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Hi MissyCari, Supposedly, you can call Brown and find out whether you've been accepted or rejected. That's what I intend to do tomorrow. Also, congratulations! Your acceptances are so impressive -- I'm actually a little intimidated. :oops:
missycari Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Eek, I'm semi-afraid to call. If they have made decisions, why haven't they let people know? You know, I sometimes think these admissions people must be quite sadistic.... (especially when they let SOME people know but wait weeks to tell everyone else..)
Minnesotan Posted February 20, 2008 Author Posted February 20, 2008 You know, I sometimes think these admissions people must be quite sadistic.... (especially when they let SOME people know but wait weeks to tell everyone else..) Seconded. Why they can't exercise some self-restraint and allow everyone to hear at the same time, rather than racing to the phone to call their favorite niece, nephew, or undergrad ass-kisser to tell them that they got in, I don't know! The people who thought up this process had the same amount of organization and foresight as the 8th grade gym teachers who say "Okay kids, go pick your teams." This process needs to go online. And I mean really online, in step with the capabilities of the 21st Century in which we live. Why can't someone create a central db for applicant credentials, a universal policy on applicant procedures (within each discipline or sub-field), and a reliable notification system? Oh, I realize the artsy fartsy humanists are scandalized at the thought of objectivity or the imposition of applicational norms, but come on! This is the most Mickey Mouse system any bureaucrat could think of, short of turning things over to the United States Postal Service entirely! Okay. I'm breathing again. Damn, that felt good.
daydaydvd Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Update on UMich. I received an email from UMich AA, telling me that it was the initial notification. 5 years package included, and more details to come! Keeping my fingers crossed for all the other people here~ You are really tough! Please be nice to reject the schools that you will not go as early as possible.
nomadism Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 You are really tough! Please be nice to reject the schools that you will not go as early as possible. Dear daydaydvd. I am asking this question out of curiosity and probably ignorance. Is there any specific reason that I might have to reject my offers fast? Will if have any effect on my application, or perhaps to other people who are applying? Thanks for you answer in advance.
amanda1655 Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 I won't be answering Michigan until I visit Wisconsin on April 5 and 6, but the professor who called me urged me to let them know as soon as possible whether I would be rejecting or accepting their offer so that they can move to a waitlist if necessary. Most schools keep a few students (or a lot of students on a waitlist) just in case an usually high number of students decline their offer.
Minnesotan Posted February 20, 2008 Author Posted February 20, 2008 It'll certainly get the waitlists moving faster.
nomadism Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 It'll certainly get the waitlists moving faster. Okay and understood :-) Once again, good luck to all
daydaydvd Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Dear daydaydvd. I am asking this question out of curiosity and probably ignorance. Is there any specific reason that I might have to reject my offers fast? Will if have any effect on my application, or perhaps to other people who are applying? Thanks for you answer in advance. If you refuse the offers, those offers will pass to someone on the waitinglist.
amanda1655 Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 My undergraduate advisor was very helpful... he suggested professors I should work with, warned about certain people who students had difficulty with in the past, e-mailed people nearer to my specific field to ask for suggestions, read my personal statement who knows how many times, and gave me advice after the acceptances and rejections started coming in. My advice for you: Wait for all of the acceptances and rejections to come in. If you don't get in anywhere, take a breath and don't think about them for a while. If you decide that you would still like to go, try to find a master's program with a late application date. Maybe one in April? Apply there. OR, get a job (if you don't already have one), contact the schools you applied to and find out why you were rejected, and then reapply next year when you can make better informed application choices. Remember the graduate schools are a bit random in who they admit and decline. I went into this knowing I would have an uphill battle despite my test scores, GPA, SOP, and writing sample being good because I came from a liberal arts college no one had heard of. My professor said my application would have to be good enough to make people overcome their initial reaction of "where in the crap is that?" when they saw where I had attended college. In spite of that, I have been admitted to Wisconsin and Michigan and the adcomm at Yale took enough interest in my application to move to their MA program after they decided they would be unable to offer me a spot in the PhD program. Illinois just said no. Who could have predicted that I would get into two top ten programs and be rejected from one in the 20 - 30 range? No one. My point: the rejections are not a reflection of you. They mean that this year, the particular adcomms who looked at your file were more interested in other candidates. Next year, it might be different, especially if you improve your application. DON'T give up on the applications you have remaining. You never know who will be interested in which candidate and why.
Cornell07 Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Hey missycari, I've seen your acceptances rolling in at applycorner and let me be the second to say, "Damn. I'm impressed." :shock: You must've put together one heck of an application!
Cornell07 Posted February 20, 2008 Posted February 20, 2008 Looks like some people are getting their envelopes for Harvard. I'm -this- close to breaking down and calling them.
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