2013 Acceptances

[AprilMay4]

I see.. Does that mean I'm probably on the borderline for most of the schools I applied to? I suppose that's better than getting rejected instantly.
I'm just worried because UT-Austin said that they let their domestic applicants know sometime in mid-February and I still haven't heard anything from them. I was pretty sure that I would get into Texas as well..

I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but from my understanding UT-Austin has already made their domestic decisions. They invited me to their open house (which was last week) and during it they said that everyone who was there was practically admitted but that they wait until after the open house to send out the acceptances because they want to make sure that they have advisors for everyone (they've had problems with this in the past). If you are a domestic and weren't contacted about the open house, then I'm not sure what your chances are. Either way, at the open house they said that acceptances will be sent out early this week. My guess is they will send out acceptances either tomorrow or Thursday.

I don't want to make you think there isn't a chance, I just wanted you to know what they told us. I know if it were me, I would want to know one way or the other...

[MaFFGeeK]

I see.. Does that mean I'm probably on the borderline for most of the schools I applied to? I suppose that's better than getting rejected instantly.
I'm just worried because UT-Austin said that they let their domestic applicants know sometime in mid-February and I still haven't heard anything from them. I was pretty sure that I would get into Texas as well..

I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but from my understanding UT-Austin has already made their domestic decisions. They invited me to their open house (which was last week) and during it they said that everyone who was there was practically admitted but that they wait until after the open house to send out the acceptances because they want to make sure that they have advisors for everyone (they've had problems with this in the past). If you are a domestic and weren't contacted about the open house, then I'm not sure what your chances are. Either way, at the open house they said that acceptances will be sent out early this week. My guess is they will send out acceptances either tomorrow or Thursday.

I don't want to make you think there isn't a chance, I just wanted you to know what they told us. I know if it were me, I would want to know one way or the other...

Thanks for letting me know. I'm just kind of shocked since I have 3.85 GPA, GRE 170/161/4.5, PGRE 820, and a co-authored publication.. I guess my statement of purpose must have really sucked >_<

[AprilMay4]

I see.. Does that mean I'm probably on the borderline for most of the schools I applied to? I suppose that's better than getting rejected instantly.
I'm just worried because UT-Austin said that they let their domestic applicants know sometime in mid-February and I still haven't heard anything from them. I was pretty sure that I would get into Texas as well..

I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but from my understanding UT-Austin has already made their domestic decisions. They invited me to their open house (which was last week) and during it they said that everyone who was there was practically admitted but that they wait until after the open house to send out the acceptances because they want to make sure that they have advisors for everyone (they've had problems with this in the past). If you are a domestic and weren't contacted about the open house, then I'm not sure what your chances are. Either way, at the open house they said that acceptances will be sent out early this week. My guess is they will send out acceptances either tomorrow or Thursday.

I don't want to make you think there isn't a chance, I just wanted you to know what they told us. I know if it were me, I would want to know one way or the other...

Thanks for letting me know. I'm just kind of shocked since I have 3.85 GPA, GRE 170/161/4.5, PGRE 820, and a co-authored publication.. I guess my statement of purpose must have really sucked >_<

I think more of it had to do with how many students they would be able to support in each area. What area did you apply in? I have a friend who is equally as qualified as me but she didn't hear from them either. She applied condensed matter while I applied ExHEP. It may just be that they only had so many spots in each sub-field and yours was just extra competitive this year.

[MaFFGeeK]

I applied for general theory, with a slight leaning towards particle theory. Maybe I should have been more specific..

It's fine though. Even if I get rejected for everywhere else, I still got a nice offer from Ohio State, so I'm not too upset.

[AprilMay4]

If you indicated theory with an interest in particle theory then I think that's your problem. There were 45 people at the open house and only 5 of them were particle theorists.

[Robespierre]

Particle theory is probably the hardest to get into, and it also seems like it's the area in which PGRE is weighted the most (perhaps this may just be due to the fact that it's hard to do much research in that area as an undergraduate).

[MaFFGeeK]

Particle theory is probably the hardest to get into, and it also seems like it's the area in which PGRE is weighted the most (perhaps this may just be due to the fact that it's hard to do much research in that area as an undergraduate).

Ah, I didn't know it was the hardest to get into. All my research in undergraduate was in theoretical nuclear.

[Ivan Fyodorovich]

I'm kind of disappointed with my results so far myself. 890 PGRE (should have been higher but I was sick the week prior) with 7 grad courses (including one in CM) and will receive a B.S. in both physics and math (not particularly special), yet nothing from UIUC so far for CMT. I'll just have to keep waiting and hoping for my higher choices I suppose.

[bfollinprm]

I see.. Does that mean I'm probably on the borderline for most of the schools I applied to? I suppose that's better than getting rejected instantly.
I'm just worried because UT-Austin said that they let their domestic applicants know sometime in mid-February and I still haven't heard anything from them. I was pretty sure that I would get into Texas as well..

I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but from my understanding UT-Austin has already made their domestic decisions. They invited me to their open house (which was last week) and during it they said that everyone who was there was practically admitted but that they wait until after the open house to send out the acceptances because they want to make sure that they have advisors for everyone (they've had problems with this in the past). If you are a domestic and weren't contacted about the open house, then I'm not sure what your chances are. Either way, at the open house they said that acceptances will be sent out early this week. My guess is they will send out acceptances either tomorrow or Thursday.

I don't want to make you think there isn't a chance, I just wanted you to know what they told us. I know if it were me, I would want to know one way or the other...

Two years ago I was accepted after the open house (actually, after the 15th). They're really disorganized down there in Austin (if I sound bitter, it's because I am--who waits until after April 15 to respond to an admissions application???).

[MaFFGeeK]

I see.. Does that mean I'm probably on the borderline for most of the schools I applied to? I suppose that's better than getting rejected instantly.
I'm just worried because UT-Austin said that they let their domestic applicants know sometime in mid-February and I still haven't heard anything from them. I was pretty sure that I would get into Texas as well..

I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but from my understanding UT-Austin has already made their domestic decisions. They invited me to their open house (which was last week) and during it they said that everyone who was there was practically admitted but that they wait until after the open house to send out the acceptances because they want to make sure that they have advisors for everyone (they've had problems with this in the past). If you are a domestic and weren't contacted about the open house, then I'm not sure what your chances are. Either way, at the open house they said that acceptances will be sent out early this week. My guess is they will send out acceptances either tomorrow or Thursday.

I don't want to make you think there isn't a chance, I just wanted you to know what they told us. I know if it were me, I would want to know one way or the other...

Two years ago I was accepted after the open house (actually, after the 15th). They're really disorganized down there in Austin (if I sound bitter, it's because I am--who waits until after April 15 to respond to an admissions application???).

Hmm, that's interesting. I submitted my application the last day before the deadline, so it's possible they just haven't gotten to it yet.

[Einstein1986]

Hi,
I am on wait list right now. How difficult is to get an offer?

[zpedram]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

[Skullgrid]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

I think you should be patient. I'm in the same situation as you, as many others are too. We're going to have to learn to be patient about this stuff because It's going to be occurring throughout our careers (proposals and such), so we may as well learn it now.

[zpedram]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

I think you should be patient. I'm in the same situation as you, as many others are too. We're going to have to learn to be patient about this stuff because It's going to be occurring throughout our careers (proposals and such), so we may as well learn it now.

Ok Thanks!! It's very hard to be patient :D:D:D

[quantum_fan]

Also Stanford hasn't let anyone know yet, so it's probably premature for people to start inquiring.

[Skullgrid]

Ok Thanks!! It's very hard to be patient :D:D:D

It really is.

[Einstein1986]

Physics program

Congratulations!!

[Einstein1986]

Hi,
I am on wait list right now. How difficult is to get an offer?

I am applying to several Astro deparments...

How difficult do you think is for an applicant from the wait list to get out from it and receive an offer?

Thanks.

[admissionprof]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

Wait a second. You've been accepted by your first-choice school, and you don't really care for the results from others, and you haven't withdrawn your application? Why not? Do you have any concern for the people on the waiting list? Admissions people hate it when students "collect" acceptances, just to see. It is very unfair to those who haven't heard yet.

[Lavabug]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

Wait a second. You've been accepted by your first-choice school, and you don't really care for the results from others, and you haven't withdrawn your application? Why not? Do you have any concern for the people on the waiting list? Admissions people hate it when students "collect" acceptances, just to see. It is very unfair to those who haven't heard yet.

As someone currently on a waitlist for his top choice with no other admissions, I second this.

Please go inflate your ego elsewhere and do something for your fellow future scientist!

[ModusPwnens]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

\begin{pileon}

To answer your question: you were accepted to Berkeley, so yeah, you're qualified for the programs at Stanford and Santa Barbara. But we all know that just being qualified is necessary, but not sufficient, for acceptance.

Congrats on your acceptances! Now do your fellow applicants and your future colleagues in those departments a favor and withdraw your other apps.

\end{pileon}

Edit: a question for admissionprof on a related note - I see a lot of rejection letters with wording like "Due to the large volume of applications, we must reject many strong/qualified/other-nice-adjective applicants." What fraction of the applicants to your program would you consider "qualified"? Do you know if this figure changes much between programs, especially as a function of reputation?

[AprilMay4]

So I'm basically tired of waiting for UCSB and Stanford! Do u think it would work against me if I emailed them and asked for my application status? I mean I got accepted into my first-choice school, so I don't "really" care for their results. I just want to know If i were qualified in their point of view as well or not! what do you guys think I should do?

Wait a second. You've been accepted by your first-choice school, and you don't really care for the results from others, and you haven't withdrawn your application? Why not? Do you have any concern for the people on the waiting list? Admissions people hate it when students "collect" acceptances, just to see. It is very unfair to those who haven't heard yet.

As someone currently on a waitlist for his top choice with no other admissions, I second this.

Please go inflate your ego elsewhere and do something for your fellow future scientist!

I completely understand where Lavabug and admissionprof are coming from, but I still feel the need to play devil's advocate here just because I too have gotten in several places (and still waiting on Stanford) sort of like zpedram has. And maybe where I'm at isn't the same as where zpedram is in the decision making, but I too got into what on paper would be my first choice. Yet I don't feel comfortable making a decision to say 'yes I'm definitely going to go here no matter what' without even seeing all of the departments! I mean, what if when I go to Berkeley I absolutely hate it there? I'm from the Midwest and coastal schools have reputations of being very snobbish or hippie (which is what I've heard about Berkeley) which I'm not sure I could deal with regardless of the standards of their education or research. So I don't feel comfortable declining acceptances from any of the schools until I visit them. Berkeley's visit happens to be April 10-11 which means that I won't be able to make a decision until after that date.

Plus, zpedram doesn't say that he hasn't rejected any of the other acceptances he's gotten. Maybe he has turned them all down except for his first choice and is just waiting to hear back from Stanford and UCSB. In which case, what harm does it do to wait until a decision before withdrawing your application? I mean, I paid 120 to apply to Stanford. I would want to know too! (I am actually still considering Stanford though so don't start yelling at me.) Especially when the schools your waiting on are ranked in the top ten physics schools in the country. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that people who would be put on the waiting list at Stanford and UCSB don't have offers from other amazing schools that they wouldn't be willing to go to. But if zpedram is holding onto all of this other acceptances when he knows for certain that he will not be going to that school, then I agree with most of what has been said.

I just think we all jumped a little too far here with not enough information. I mean, we are talking about Stanford and UCSB... am I the only one who thinks this?

[Skullgrid]

I agree with AprilMay4. Sure, I have my initial top choices, but I didn't apply to any school that I wouldn't consider going to. Without visiting these places and talking to the people there, I can't say for sure whether or not I'd want to go.

[Minovsky]

Well, zpedram did say that they didn't really care for their results. AprilMay4 does bring up a good point, but the way zpedram described their situation, it does sound like they're just trying to stroke their ego.

[AprilMay4]

Well, zpedram did say that they didn't really care for their results. AprilMay4 does bring up a good point, but the way zpedram described their situation, it does sound like they're just trying to stroke their ego.

True, he did say that. But I mean, I don't except people who have gotten into schools to withdraw applications from schools as amazing as Stanford and UCSB until after at least receiving a decision. I mean, isn't that what we paid so much money to know? And if it were me, (which it could be because I applied to Stanford and they haven't sent out anything yet) I would just want to know because I would always wonder about it. I will most likely get rejected from Stanford, and I will be perfectly fine with that, but I still want to know so that I don't always wonder. My opinion on this would be different say if he had gotten into Princeton and was still wanting to know if he got into say, Greendale Community College or something. That would clearly be ego stroking.

[nerdpunk]

.

[cmackeen]

I have checked this thread everyday (at least) for the past two and a half weeks, still waiting on one acceptance... and zpedram seemed kind of like a dick, smiley faces and all, but it is true that if you pay for an application to be reviewed, I think you deserve an answer. It is nice to think if someone withdraws an application a spot always opens up, but I still think the admissions process is much less organized than we make it out to be on this forum.

If he got his app fees waived, that is a different story altogether...

[admissionprof]

Well, zpedram did say that they didn't really care for their results. AprilMay4 does bring up a good point, but the way zpedram described their situation, it does sound like they're just trying to stroke their ego.

Absolutely. If you have any doubt, and really need to visit a place, then definitely don't withdraw an application. But zpedram said he/she didn't care about the results, so that means there was no doubt.




<quote>Edit: a question for admissionprof on a related note - I see a lot of rejection letters with wording like "Due to the large volume of applications, we must reject many strong/qualified/other-nice-adjective applicants." What fraction of the applicants to your program would you consider "qualified"? Do you know if this figure changes much between programs, especially as a function of reputation?</quote>

The figure varies widely. A place like StanfordHarvard might get 800 applications, whereas a place like the University of North Dakota might get a few dozen. There is seldom a sharp line between qualified and unqualified. I'd rather not talk about my own program (secret identities are useful), but most schools in the top 50 but not top 20 probably have roughly half the applicants that are qualified (but there isn't room for all of them, of course).

[Tom Joad]

I mean, I paid 120 to apply to Stanford. I would want to know too! (I am actually still considering Stanford though so don't start yelling at me.)

What, you paid only $120? Mine was $125!

I agree with AprilMay4. Sure, I have my initial top choices, but I didn't apply to any school that I wouldn't consider going to. Without visiting these places and talking to the people there, I can't say for sure whether or not I'd want to go.

I feel the exact same way as both of you. Before I got back any results, my 'top choice' was a tie between Cornell, Berkeley, Caltech, and Stanford. However, as I was writing each tailored section of my SOP I would get really excited about going to whatever school I happened to be applying to due to some unique feature about the research or education. Now that I've gotten back a bunch of acceptances, even the schools that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to attend are hard for me to decline for this very reason. Especially when I start getting personally contacted by professors. For example, I just declined an offer from Penn State, and the very next day I got a call from the professor I listed as my number one interest. I felt like a major jerkwad declining them without even really giving them a chance. Now my plan is to visit as many schools as I think possible without failing the semester, but even then I really don't know how I'm going to force myself to make a decision.

[AprilMay4]

I mean, I paid 120 to apply to Stanford. I would want to know too! (I am actually still considering Stanford though so don't start yelling at me.)

What, you paid only $120? Mine was $125!

haha no i just couldn't remember. I knew it was more than $100 but I didn't know the exact number so I just guessed!

[Robespierre]

Those who have been accepted to their top-choice schools: how sure are you that you would be able to work with your top-choice professors?

[kangaroo]

In case people didn't know, Harvard always does it in one wave. And snail mail rejections. They are snobbish like that.

[soh]

I see acceptances from Columbia and Maryland Astro here and at the gradcafe.com
Does anyone know if they've sent out 'all' the first round acceptances?

[bschroe]

I feel the exact same way as both of you. Before I got back any results, my 'top choice' was a tie between Cornell, Berkeley, Caltech, and Stanford. However, as I was writing each tailored section of my SOP I would get really excited about going to whatever school I happened to be applying to due to some unique feature about the research or education. Now that I've gotten back a bunch of acceptances, even the schools that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to attend are hard for me to decline for this very reason. Especially when I start getting personally contacted by professors. For example, I just declined an offer from Penn State, and the very next day I got a call from the professor I listed as my number one interest. I felt like a major jerkwad declining them without even really giving them a chance. Now my plan is to visit as many schools as I think possible without failing the semester, but even then I really don't know how I'm going to force myself to make a decision.

You bring up a serious acute problem for me: does anybody have recommendation on how to talk to the professors you decline in this situation? I already feel awful knowing that I'll have to decline n-1 offers.

[photonic]

I feel the exact same way as both of you. Before I got back any results, my 'top choice' was a tie between Cornell, Berkeley, Caltech, and Stanford. However, as I was writing each tailored section of my SOP I would get really excited about going to whatever school I happened to be applying to due to some unique feature about the research or education. Now that I've gotten back a bunch of acceptances, even the schools that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to attend are hard for me to decline for this very reason. Especially when I start getting personally contacted by professors. For example, I just declined an offer from Penn State, and the very next day I got a call from the professor I listed as my number one interest. I felt like a major jerkwad declining them without even really giving them a chance. Now my plan is to visit as many schools as I think possible without failing the semester, but even then I really don't know how I'm going to force myself to make a decision.

You bring up a serious acute problem for me: does anybody have recommendation on how to talk to the professors you decline in this situation? I already feel awful knowing that I'll have to decline n-1 offers.

I wouldn't worry so much about this, all you have to do is write a polite email saying that you've not to attend X University but thank them for considering you and their time. What I try to remind myself is that in their eyes, we're probably not special. We're still undergrads and they do this every year. In all likelihood you won't be their first grad student or the first to turn them down.

[astroprof]

I am glad to see this discussion come up early this year. While it is always difficult to make decisions between schools, it is vitally important that you notify schools as soon as you know that you will not attend. And, yes, while we do not like to hear that you have chosen someone (somewhere) else over us, we much prefer to have this information early. It isn't so much that "you are not special", but that the reality is that if we can't have you, then we want to try to get a student that is nearly as strong as you, and that may mean admitting additional students who are currently on our wait list (who would also like to know of their change in status as early as possible).

You should, of course, take sufficient time to consider each offer carefully (and that may mean waiting until after you have had a chance to visit). Once you have reached a decision, a short, polite, e-mail to the professor that contacted you is sufficient. In general, we understand that we are not the correct match for all students. If you have made a final decision, we also like to hear where you have chosen to attend, but you should not delay notifying individual schools as you narrow down your options.

[bschroe]

I see Caltech Physics acceptances...

[kyva1929]

Can anyone comment on cornell vs caltech vs MIT in hep-ex?

[StewieVader]

I got an acceptance from Caltech just now
I CANNOT believe it!

[quantum_fan]

Congratulations!

[Tom Joad]

Caltech for me as well! Looks like it's time for another round of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPHC0zFjE24.

In other news, the zipper on my winter jacket broke, so I'd say today's been pretty much a wash .

[StewieVader]

@Tom
Is it official though? And did you receive word from any group or just from the admissions secretary? Did you apply for theory or experiment? Received any emails or anything before this?

[Tom Joad]

@Tom
Is it official though? And did you receive word from any group or just from the admissions secretary? Did you apply for theory or experiment?

I got an email from the admissions secretary saying: "we will be submitting your file to the Dean of Graduate Studies for admission to our program" saying that the formal offer will be forthcoming with stipend and funding information. I applied for theory with a primary stated interest in high energy astrophysics.

[wololo]

I've got an offer from Caltech as well. A question for the admitted students, do you see a change at "track your status" page in your online application? I still find it hard to believe I've been accepted to the program, and now I became suspicious when I didn't see any change at that page.

[StewieVader]

Any information about which group you have been admitted into, for experimentalists?

[Tom Joad]

I've got an offer from Caltech as well. A question for the admitted students, do you see a change at "track your status" page in your online application? I still find it hard to believe I've been accepted to the program, and now I became suspicious when I didn't see any change at that page.

Mine still says "No current status. Please check back later." for my GRE scores.

Any information about which group you have been admitted into, for experimentalists?

I could be wrong, but I don't think it works that way for Caltech. In the U.S. that's mainly an MIT thing.

[Robespierre]

Once you got an e-mail, that's it. It seems like most schools are lazy in updating the status page after a certain point.

Now I've been rejected from the three top schools on the East Coast, while accepted to two on the West... I hope Stanford will follow the trend.

[deathinacan]

Does anyone know if the University of Arizona physics department has sent out any acceptances yet?

[nerv]

I'm an international from an Ivy League school, my physics GPA is 3.87 and my PGRE is 990. I've taken grad courses in QFT, QM and GR. I interned at a national lab one summer and I have a paper in phys. rev. from my work there. I also worked with a well known string theorist (on matrix models in string theory) and a well respected condensed matter theorist (on quantum phase transitions), for a year each. Currently I'm working on the FQHE with another condensed matter theorist famous in that field. I applied to 11 schools for CMT, got rejected by 2 (Yale & MIT), and have not heard back from the rest, at all (not even my safety, U Maryland...). Two of my letter writers said that they were surprised I had no offers yet. The upshot of this all: I'm ~$1000 poorer and have no foreseeable future. FML.

I'm not sure whether this works, but to those with multiple offers, congratulations, but please, quickly reject the schools you know for sure you don't want to go to, and help a poor soul in need.

(Edit: It's affecting me quite a bit, I can't focus on anything else or be happy. Every morning the first thing I do is check thegradcafe.com and my email. But nothing ever comes in. I keep refreshing my inbox throughout the day but to no avail. Today Caltech results came out but you can guess how I felt...)

[Kinbote]

I'm pretty much in a similar situation - 900+ GRE, 4.00 GPA, one publication, second in progress, summer internship at a national lab, 3 years of research, multiple conference talks, and graduate courses.
I got rejected from MIT, Princeton and Yale also, expecting rejections from Harvard and Caltech now, haven't heard back from the rest, and got into just one.
Also, UC Berkeley, UCSB, Columbia and Stanford still have acceptances to send out, so there's hope.
In general, it's a lot harder for international students to get accepted since they'd rather pay for US citizens, which makes sense. And yeah, it doesn't make much sense that we're getting rejected but it's mostly research interests not matching up. For instance, I got an email from my POI at MIT saying my application was as strong as anyone else accepted, but my research interests don't coincide with his as well as others' do.

Keep in mind also that at the graduate level, the prestige of the school is not very relevant. Rather, it's the prestige of the advisor that matters. So as long as you get into a ~top 20 school, and there's no reason you shouldn't, you'll be fine.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmi ... SRhf6WccZU

This is a good post by Sean Caroll, who has a lot more ethos about this than I do. (See section: "How prestigious is the school and the department").