Fall 2018 Applicants

[drlapidus4]

Anyone know what's going on with Minnesota? I have heard they started sending out notices but I haven't heard anything at all yet?

[Guest345]

Had the NYU interview a few days ago. Was asked the usual questions about where I see my work going, why NYU etc. Was told I would hear back sometime in the next 2 weeks and to reach out if there was anything I forgot to mention in the interview. Fingers crossed. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Guest345

[Qtf311]

Is it safe to say that if you do not get an interview request you are not a top prospect?

[asmhardin]

Congrats, @Guest345. I also had an interview with an NYU professor yesterday. Best of luck to you.

@TheLearnedPig - I've had two unofficial phone calls and one interview, and I would just say be prepared to give an "elevator pitch" about your research interests and where you want your doctoral research to go. Be able to speak to why you think the particular department is a good fit for you. Do lots of background research on the professor you'll be chatting with, and try to relax and enjoy the conversation. The calls I've had have felt quite informal, though you should still be polished and professional. I hope that is somewhat helpful. Cheers. 

(With this being said, I am currently in the midst of the admissions process w/ no acceptances yet - so, grain of salt!)

Edited January 26, 2018 by asmhardin

[asmhardin]

@Qtf311 I actually think it's common to be accepted without an interview. My understanding is that it varies based on the program and individual professor's preference to interview or not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I spoke with one of my MA professors the other day, and he said interviews are actually not that  common.

[khigh]

51 minutes ago, drlapidus4 said:

Anyone know what's going on with Minnesota? I have heard they started sending out notices but I haven't heard anything at all yet?

I haven't heard anything either.  I'm starting to explore other plans because I have a feeling that I won't get in. The question would be whether to go to law school or wait and apply next year.

[derHistoriker]

3 minutes ago, khigh said:

I haven't heard anything either.  I'm starting to explore other plans because I have a feeling that I won't get in. The question would be whether to go to law school or wait and apply next year.

I have yet to hear anything as well. 

[drlapidus4]

3 minutes ago, khigh said:

I haven't heard anything either.  I'm starting to explore other plans because I have a feeling that I won't get in. The question would be whether to go to law school or wait and apply next year.

Yeah, I'm worried because if I don't get in there, I probably ain't getting in anywhere else.

[Guest345]

Thank you @asmhardin.  Same to you!
 
@Qtf311 Interviews and what they could mean have come up in this thread, try the search function. (said with gentle effect) My apologies if you've read those posts already and I'm just repeating things. 

Interviews depend on the school, department and can vary even among subfields within a department. Yes, it can indicate a particular interest in a candidate (if the school usually does interviews) but it can also just be a part of their process to get more information before a decision is made.

Case in point, I recently got an email from a professor at a place I applied to who wanted me to clarify, what subfield I saw myself most belonging to because I  marketed myself as having transnational interests between regions. This prevented them from categorizing what field my application fit in-Early America, Early Modern Europe or Latin America etc. If your application packet made things clear enough, they might not have any questions at all and decide without speaking to you.  Especially if their department or subfield doesn't usually make a thing of doing formal interviews. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Guest345
spelling errors

[TheLearnedPig]

20 minutes ago, asmhardin said:

@TheLearnedPig - I've had two unofficial phone calls and one interview, and I would just say be prepared to give an "elevator pitch" about your research interests and where you want your doctoral research to go. Be able to speak to why you think the particular department is a good fit for you. Do lots of background research on the professor you'll be chatting with, and try to relax and enjoy the conversation. The calls I've had have felt quite informal, though you should still be polished and professional. I hope that is somewhat helpful. Cheers. 

(With this being said, I am currently in the midst of the admissions process w/ no acceptances yet - so, grain of salt!)

Many thanks asmhardin for the advice. The decision making process feels more personal when it comes down to interview - I'm surprised more places don't do it. Your advice has been extremely helpful, the 'elevator pitch' is something we have all had to do, and I'll reflect on my project and its prospects beforehand. 

The only issue is that I have a strange tendency to go bright red whenever I do a video call...

[TheLearnedPig]

First acceptance!!!! 

Michigan State (MSU) have begun sending out responses, if anyone is waiting on them. 

Best of luck everyone 
 

[asmhardin]

Wow, cool! Congrats, @TheLearnedPig ! 

[fortsibut]

14 minutes ago, TheLearnedPig said:

First acceptance!!!! 

Michigan State (MSU) have begun sending out responses, if anyone is waiting on them. 

Best of luck everyone 
 

Congrats!  They'll be one of my top three if I end up having to reapply next year, but I wasn't able to get everything done in time for their deadline this year.  Have you had the chance to visit East Lansing yet?  Haven't been myself but the prof I TA'd for during my MA was a MSU grad and loved her time there.

[TheLearnedPig]

Many thanks for the kind words, @fortsibut and @asmhardin.

I haven't had the chance to visit East Lansing yet, although there is mention of a visiting day in the letter and I will look into arranging this. I have actually only been to the US twice before, so this entire experience will be quite a leap. MSU is a great spot for my interests, they have got some "rockstars" in the animal studies world and I am excited to meet them.

All I would say is have faith in your project and the fact that they will read your application. I have average grades, average GRE, an MA in a different discipline. What has seen me over the line is work experience and being a good fit.

Many thanks again for the advice and messages.

[Qtf311]

I was accepted into SUNY-Stony Brook and, although it is not my first choice and I am still waiting to hear from other schools, I am excited for the opportunity and chance to work with a professor that I really respect.  Also, I feel so relieved...thanks for all the advice and guidance from everyone on this site....seriously, it is extremely helpful to get feedback and hear other students concerns, challenges and victories. Good luck everyone!

[psstein]

2 hours ago, Qtf311 said:

Is it safe to say that if you do not get an interview request you are not a top prospect?

It varies by university. Many programs do not interview.

If you apply to a top program and don't get an interview request, you're probably out of the running for a spot.

[psstein]

2 hours ago, drlapidus4 said:

Yeah, I'm worried because if I don't get in there, I probably ain't getting in anywhere else.

It's not uncommon to be rejected from a lower-ranked program and accepted into a higher ranked one. I was tacitly rejected from Indiana HPS (unfunded MA), but accepted into a higher ranked PhD program .

[fortsibut]

7 minutes ago, psstein said:

It's not uncommon to be rejected from a lower-ranked program and accepted into a higher ranked one. I was tacitly rejected from Indiana HPS (unfunded MA), but accepted into a higher ranked PhD program .

You need to go post passive-aggressively about it on the results page like all the super salty people do!  "Fuck you Indiana HPS!  I'm going to a REAL SCHOOL!" 

[Account6567]

8 minutes ago, psstein said:

It varies by university. Many programs do not interview.

If you apply to a top program and don't get an interview request, you're probably out of the running for a spot.

You sure about that in regards to top programs? Can't remember where but I think I've heard anecdotally that interview likelihood varies by program at the top just as it does everywhere else.

[bbbb93]

Congrats to all of the early acceptances on here!

I hate to ask this question, but were any of the veterans on this thread that were accepted to only one program during their application cycle?  Did you end up accepting? I've mastered the jstor search, but I can't figure out grad cafe's so I apologize if this is a repetitive question! 

[cocakolakowski]

@Qtf311 just curious as a fellow Stony Brook applicant, how did you hear back about your acceptance? Congratulations by the way!

[psstein]

2 hours ago, fortsibut said:

You need to go post passive-aggressively about it on the results page like all the super salty people do!  "Fuck you Indiana HPS!  I'm going to a REAL SCHOOL!" 

I think I said something along the lines of "I'm not taking an unfunded MA." This was last Spring; you can probably find it in the results page.

 

2 hours ago, Account6567 said:

You sure about that in regards to top programs? Can't remember where but I think I've heard anecdotally that interview likelihood varies by program at the top just as it does everywhere else.

I know for a fact that Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Princeton, Columbia, and many other programs don't interview.

 

2 hours ago, bbbb93 said:

I hate to ask this question, but were any of the veterans on this thread that were accepted to only one program during their application cycle?  Did you end up accepting? I've mastered the jstor search, but I can't figure out grad cafe's so I apologize if this is a repetitive question! 

I was accepted to Minnesota HoS, Wisconsin HoS, Indiana HPS (MA), and Chicago's Humanities MA (whatever it's called!). I accepted the Wisconsin offer after my campus visit; it was also the only funded offer. To be fair, I wasn't a great candidate (I had a grand total of zero HoS courses in undergrad; my undergrad didn't offer it).

Edited January 27, 2018 by psstein

[Qtf311]

Email from program director and my POI.  I was told earlier this week to expect something because of a potential fellowship deadline.  I wasn’t expecting to hear anything till March.  Good luck!  

[Account6567]

28 minutes ago, psstein said:

I know for a fact that Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Princeton, Columbia, and many other programs don't interview.

Yeah I think we're saying the same thing- Maybe your original comment was just a typo? I'm responding to "If you apply to a top program and don't get an interview request, you're probably out of the running for a spot" when I say that I don't think that's the case.

[tommyrj]

Hi all, has anyone heard from University of Virginia? I saw two posts on the result page. May I ask what your fields of concentration are?