Fall 2018 Applicants

[khigh]

8 minutes ago, sovietviolinist said:

I research the arts from mass atrocity in the former USSR including Holodomor, the Holocaust on Soviet Territories, and the Stalinist Gulag system. I applied again to PhD this year: to Brown and Penn in History, and Chicago in Musicology. I also applied to 8 post docs with my DMA. 

 

For some reason, the first thing I thought of was the scene in The Red Violin with the girl in Maoist China during the Cultural Revolution. I think your area of interest is very intriguing! 

[asmhardin]

1 hour ago, TMP said:

Re: negotiations.  Don't worry, I didn't even learn until I got on this forum too! I was also eventually told by my advisers after I got my acceptance letters.

Thanks, @TMP. This helps put negotiations in context. From what you said, it sounds like the negotiation process will make a bit more sense once I (hopefully) get some offers, because then I can start comparing offers to see precisely what I might like to negotiate. It also sounds like it's a case-by-case situation.

If I do decide to negotiate an offer, I'm assuming I do so with the Director of Graduate Studies? (Instead of my POIs.)

[dr. t]

27 minutes ago, sovietviolinist said:

Also, if anyone is currently at Brown, I’d love to chat if I’m admitted.

Yo.

[psstein]

3 hours ago, narple said:

I would also say the form of funding may also be negotiated not just the quantity i.e. another term of scholarship funding as opposed to a TA-ship etc. This is more likely the type of negotiation you will see at least what I have heard/experienced. The overall dollar amount remains the same for all students but sources of money and the students responsibilities may change.

I don't know if that's the case. In my program, everyone is on fellowship the first year.

The extra money may have involved some other concession. I don't know.

[NotAlice]

So, as/if acceptances arrive, what is a good crafted response, proper etiquette I guess, to let a department know you've received notification but are waiting to commit until you hear from other schools or funding? 

[psstein]

1 hour ago, NotAlice said:

So, as/if acceptances arrive, what is a good crafted response, proper etiquette I guess, to let a department know you've received notification but are waiting to commit until you hear from other schools or funding? 

You shouldn't worry about it too much. The action deadline isn't until April 15th for many universities.

[narple]

3 hours ago, psstein said:

I don't know if that's the case. In my program, everyone is on fellowship the first year.

The extra money may have involved some other concession. I don't know.

I didn’t meant to say that it is always the case. But wanted to bring up the different types of negotiations that might occur. Along the lines of what @TMP explicated.

[TMP]

17 hours ago, NotAlice said:

So, as/if acceptances arrive, what is a good crafted response, proper etiquette I guess, to let a department know you've received notification but are waiting to commit until you hear from other schools or funding? 

If you have the urge to write, a simple thank you will do and you will be in touch as you wait your options.

(Yes, I put option in plural form because one may decide that at the end, it does not make sense to attend a PhD program right away as I've heard several stories about that whether due to a better job offer, realization it's just not for them, or whatever.)

[Guest345]

Was invited to interview with a few professors to talk about my interests and my application to NYU. Scheduled a meeting for this week upcoming. Nervous but looking forward.

[astroid88]

4 minutes ago, Guest345 said:

Was invited to interview with a few professors to talk about my interests and my application to NYU. Scheduled a meeting for this week upcoming. Nervous but looking forward.

Congrats. They told you this on a Saturday??

[Guest345]

5 minutes ago, astroid88 said:

Congrats. They told you this on a Saturday??

Thank you! No, I believe, Wednesday. But I have spent the last few days preparing+centering myself. As well as reading my application profile, their work, more about the program. I'm a lurker so was already somewhat hesitant to post about it. 

Edited January 20, 2018 by Guest345

[Qtf311]

Congrats. What is your focus?

[Guest345]

Atlantic World

[Qtf311]

15 minutes ago, Guest345 said:

Atlantic World

Who are you hoping to work with at NYU?

[ltr317]

6 hours ago, Guest345 said:

Atlantic World

 

Are you interviewing with Eustace, Morgan, and Romney?  I've read a couple of Morgan's articles.  Good luck!   

[gsc]

2 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

I recently had conversation with the PoI at UCLA, they emailed me to set up a phone call urgently to ask if ucla was my top priority since they arent having a wait list this year. I said I would be really really happy to go there but ultimateky gave a balanced response. Bit strange to be put in a fix so early. He said this was a special year when they weren't having a wait list and needed to know if I will commit. Any insights on why this might the case? I am super nervous now cause I hope my response doesn't result into not getting into the program, cause it is amongst my top two for the American unis. 

The short answer is that it means they like you, a lot. 

If they were lukewarm about your application, they wouldn't bother with calling you. They really would not. I had a really similar experience to yours —  a potential advisor saw my application, turned around and wrote to one of my recommenders (who he knew) and asked if I was a "serious" applicant. Would I actually go if accepted? Etc. It didn't help, in my case, that I hadn't written beforehand, so essentially I came from nowhere with no lead-up, fueling the question of my being "serious."  But this is precisely my point. The POI liked my application enough that he was curious about it and about me. So that's the first and very concrete thing. They're trying to feel you out. 

The longer and more speculative answer is that they are worried you will go somewhere else. Let me be clear that this is truly speculation, based off this experience & others. But one thing that is clear to me is that schools want the best students as much as students want the best schools, and they have a good idea of what schools they can compete with and what ones they can't. So I suspect it is that they want to admit you, only they think you are a strong enough applicant that you will probably have other offers, and they don't want to give up a slot on someone who only thinks of UCLA as their "backup" choice. What makes me think this is that they don't have a waitlist, which means that the pressure is on to admit quality students who will actually come to the program. I'm not remotely familiar with UCLA's program, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continually lost out applicants to the same couple schools and are hoping you're not going to be in that number. 

FWIW I think your response was fine. The "needing to commit" part is a little strong language, but it's coming from your potential advisor and not the admissions director which lessens it a bit. I remember responding much like you did, trying to give myself room in case I wanted to go somewhere else (but knowing I probably wouldn't because this was my top choice), feeling really nervous in case I was too equivocal and I was accepted — I think so long as you didn't blow them off completely, or made it sound like you had your heart set somewhere else, you're fine. 

[Manuscriptess]

3 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Also, has anyone heard from Chicago/Columbia?

I got my MA from Columbia and am pretty close with several of the Medievalists in the department (I didn't apply for PhD there because they have a policy against taking people with MAs from the department which is pretty annoying). I can't speak for the other specialities, but the Medievalists have just started the looking at applications, so I wouldn't expect to hear back until at least mid February. Hope that helps!

[35mm_]

57 minutes ago, gsc said:

The short answer is that it means they like you, a lot. 

If they were lukewarm about your application, they wouldn't bother with calling you. They really would not. I had a really similar experience to yours —  a potential advisor saw my application, turned around and wrote to one of my recommenders (who he knew) and asked if I was a "serious" applicant. Would I actually go if accepted? Etc. It didn't help, in my case, that I hadn't written beforehand, so essentially I came from nowhere with no lead-up, fueling the question of my being "serious."  But this is precisely my point. The POI liked my application enough that he was curious about it and about me. So that's the first and very concrete thing. They're trying to feel you out. 

The longer and more speculative answer is that they are worried you will go somewhere else. Let me be clear that this is truly speculation, based off this experience & others. But one thing that is clear to me is that schools want the best students as much as students want the best schools, and they have a good idea of what schools they can compete with and what ones they can't. So I suspect it is that they want to admit you, only they think you are a strong enough applicant that you will probably have other offers, and they don't want to give up a slot on someone who only thinks of UCLA as their "backup" choice. What makes me think this is that they don't have a waitlist, which means that the pressure is on to admit quality students who will actually come to the program. I'm not remotely familiar with UCLA's program, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continually lost out applicants to the same couple schools and are hoping you're not going to be in that number. 

FWIW I think your response was fine. The "needing to commit" part is a little strong language, but it's coming from your potential advisor and not the admissions director which lessens it a bit. I remember responding much like you did, trying to give myself room in case I wanted to go somewhere else (but knowing I probably wouldn't because this was my top choice), feeling really nervous in case I was too equivocal and I was accepted — I think so long as you didn't blow them off completely, or made it sound like you had your heart set somewhere else, you're fine. 

Thanks, that helps a lot. And oh wow, I had no idea there's so much speculation behind offers. Although, I was beginning to wonder if they are also in touch with another PoI at this other uni, cause they mentioned the other school (that I have applied to) very casually, to compare the funding packages. 

Do state schools send early decisions than the ivies? Cause wouldn't the logical thing for them (if people don't go through with the offers) would be to send decisions slightly later so that students know where they stand? I have applied to different fields at different unis, HoS and area studies, and while my app might float for the area studies, it might not for the HoS departments. Again, this is pure speculation too, and I would only know for sure by march I guess. 

[psstein]

2 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Do state schools send early decisions than the ivies? Cause wouldn't the logical thing for them (if people don't go through with the offers) would be to send decisions slightly later so that students know where they stand? I have applied to different fields at different unis, HoS and area studies, and while my app might float for the area studies, it might not for the HoS departments. Again, this is pure speculation too, and I would only know for sure by march I guess. 

No, they don't. I received Yale's rejection letter in early Feb and didn't get Hopkins' rejection until March (admittedly, after I interviewed). Wisconsin and Indiana both sent acceptances (PhD and MA, respectively) in mid-February.

I think Princeton wrote in late February...

[asmhardin]

7 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Hey everyone, since there was some talk of interviews and HoS programs I am wondering if anyone knows about the Harvard HoS's interviewing policy?

Also, has anyone heard from Chicago/Columbia?

I recently had conversation with the PoI at UCLA, they emailed me to set up a phone call urgently to ask if ucla was my top priority since they arent having a wait list this year. I said I would be really really happy to go there but ultimateky gave a balanced response. Bit strange to be put in a fix so early. He said this was a special year when they weren't having a wait list and needed to know if I will commit. Any insights on why this might the case? I am super nervous now cause I hope my response doesn't result into not getting into the program, cause it is amongst my top two for the American unis. 

5

Congrats on UCLA being so interested in your app @35mm_ ! While it must be heartening that they are taking your application so seriously,  that does sound like a stressful situation to navigate.

It seems like @gsc gave a very probable response. Adding to their point, I have heard that if departments give out, say, 20 admissions offers one year, and only 12 students accept and enroll, they sometimes don't receive as much funding for new students from the university for the following year. Perhaps that is UCLA's fear without having a waitlist this year. I have even heard stories of people getting into ivy leagues and rejected from much lower ranked state schools because of this, though I don't have any firsthand stories of this.

Best of luck navigating this process!

[asmhardin]

@35mm_ - Oh, and I applied to Chicago & Columbia (not UCLA) and haven't heard anything back yet.

[TMP]

8 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Thanks, that helps a lot. And oh wow, I had no idea there's so much speculation behind offers. Although, I was beginning to wonder if they are also in touch with another PoI at this other uni, cause they mentioned the other school (that I have applied to) very casually, to compare the funding packages. 

Do state schools send early decisions than the ivies? Cause wouldn't the logical thing for them (if people don't go through with the offers) would be to send decisions slightly later so that students know where they stand? I have applied to different fields at different unis, HoS and area studies, and while my app might float for the area studies, it might not for the HoS departments. Again, this is pure speculation too, and I would only know for sure by march I guess. 

The realities of state schools.  I was under some pressure by my two POIs at their respective state universities to test my commitment to their programs. I certainly said that I was very interested but remained non-committal.  The POIs in private schools, in my experience, didn't seem to care.

I know that OSU did not have a "waitlist" last  year per se as we wanted to try a year without admitting TAs as we did not have such tremendous need for TAs and wanted to be more competitive overall.  The Director of Grad Admissions worked very, very hard on those fellowship nominations for students who he was convinced would come to OSU in order to continue getting more fellowships from the Graduate School.  Programs in state schools are in competition with other departments for limited number university-wide fellowships. If the Graduate School doesn't see improvement in the yield or consistent decline, it will threat the program to cut the number of fellowships it can apply to.  By consistently showing high yield each year, the program can be assured (at least) that it has plenty of resources to offer attractive funding packages to compete with peer programs.  Ultimately, my program had a quite strong yield of fellowship students, higher than in the past.

Sort of like your parents cutting your allowance if you aren't keeping up with your chores and when you do keep up with your chores, your original allowance comes back and if you take up more chores, then you might get a raise in allowance. 

It is a very tricky situation for applicants but fortunately this history board has funding spreadsheet on hand for applicants to see beforehand what kind of funding they're likely to get. 

[lordtiandao]

12 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Hey everyone, since there was some talk of interviews and HoS programs I am wondering if anyone knows about the Harvard HoS's interviewing policy?

Also, has anyone heard from Chicago/Columbia?

I recently had conversation with the PoI at UCLA, they emailed me to set up a phone call urgently to ask if ucla was my top priority since they arent having a wait list this year. I said I would be really really happy to go there but ultimateky gave a balanced response. Bit strange to be put in a fix so early. He said this was a special year when they weren't having a wait list and needed to know if I will commit. Any insights on why this might the case? I am super nervous now cause I hope my response doesn't result into not getting into the program, cause it is amongst my top two for the American unis. 

May I ask what your field of history is? I'm in Chinese history and was told by a potential POI at UCLA that I was very high on their list, but they didn't ask me if UCLA was my top priority. My undergrad alma mater is UCLA, so I still hear a fair bit of gossip from current students and professors there. I know that for Chinese history, two of the three professors there haven't been getting very many students recently so they're very eager to take people take think is a good fit. It could also be the case with other historical fields.

I've heard nothing from Columbia or Chicago.

Edited January 22, 2018 by lordtiandao

[Neist]

12 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Hey everyone, since there was some talk of interviews and HoS programs I am wondering if anyone knows about the Harvard HoS's interviewing policy?

My knowledge is mostly anecdotal, but I believe that most history of science programs, or at least most history of science departments, do not interview.

Now, if you applied to HoS in a regular history department, that's a bit outside my expertise.

[psstein]

13 hours ago, 35mm_ said:

Hey everyone, since there was some talk of interviews and HoS programs I am wondering if anyone knows about the Harvard HoS's interviewing policy?

Also, has anyone heard from Chicago/Columbia?

I recently had conversation with the PoI at UCLA, they emailed me to set up a phone call urgently to ask if ucla was my top priority since they arent having a wait list this year. I said I would be really really happy to go there but ultimateky gave a balanced response. Bit strange to be put in a fix so early. He said this was a special year when they weren't having a wait list and needed to know if I will commit. Any insights on why this might the case? I am super nervous now cause I hope my response doesn't result into not getting into the program, cause it is amongst my top two for the American unis. 

Harvard HoS doesn't interview. The programs that do (Hopkins HoS and Penn HSS) are both tiny. Hopkins HoS is a 10 student program. Penn HSS is a bit larger, but I don't know very much about their program.