Physics GRE Discussion Forums

So, according to the gradcafe, U of Chicago has already sent out some rejections.

Anyone unfortunate around?

Yes.

ayushya wrote:Yes.

Good luck with the other applications.. Did you get an email?

hamadahoda007 wrote:

ayushya wrote:Yes.

Good luck with the other applications.. Did you get an email?

Thanks, and good luck to you too. I saw the rejection when I was checking my application status. No email.

Is it just me or does it seem a little early to be doing a round of rejections? It's not even February! I wonder if there were too many applicants this year?

Gradcafe shows Austin is sending out open house invitations. And I didn't get one.

pichinko wrote:Is it just me or does it seem a little early to be doing a round of rejections? It's not even February! I wonder if there were too many applicants this year?

UChicago Physics Department has a rolling admission system. Can it be the reason for the early results?
Did the guys already having got the results submit their applications long before the deadline?

Well they all usually release results in waves, and my initial impression was that Chicago usually started admitting people in mid-February. I was quite surprised that I was accepted so early. Maybe they received more applications than usual and wanted to reject people who they knew they wouldn't take.

ayushya wrote:

hamadahoda007 wrote:

ayushya wrote:Yes.

Good luck with the other applications.. Did you get an email?

Thanks, and good luck to you too. I saw the rejection when I was checking my application status. No email.

Out of curiosity, is this the online application page where it says "status of application" along with whether or not Chicago has received your materials? i.e., where it originally just says "status: submitted?" I've been checking this now and it has remained as "submitted."

Thanks!

catharsis wrote: Out of curiosity, is this the online application page where it says "status of application" along with whether or not Chicago has received your materials? i.e., where it originally just says "status: submitted?" I've been checking this now and it has remained as "submitted."

Thanks!

Me too. Still showing "submitted" in my application webpage.
I asked the physics dpt admissions officer via email yesterday. She replied, 'Your application has been submitted to the faculty members to review. Once a decision has been made on your application you will be notified via email.'

Now at least I know I am not yet rejected. (at least officially)
So we shall just relax and wait.

cedricyu803 wrote:

catharsis wrote: Out of curiosity, is this the online application page where it says "status of application" along with whether or not Chicago has received your materials? i.e., where it originally just says "status: submitted?" I've been checking this now and it has remained as "submitted."

Thanks!

Me too. Still showing "submitted" in my application webpage.
I asked the physics dpt admissions officer via email yesterday. She replied, 'Your application has been submitted to the faculty members to review. Once a decision has been made on your application you will be notified via email.'

Now at least I know I am not yet rejected. (at least officially)
So we shall just relax and wait.

Indeed catharsis, it is that page that should eventually show your official admission decision. I've been notified of my acceptance informally by e-mail more than two weeks ago, but only yesterday I saw my formal letter of acceptance (with the financial package) on that webpage.

Arbitrary wrote:

cedricyu803 wrote:

catharsis wrote: Out of curiosity, is this the online application page where it says "status of application" along with whether or not Chicago has received your materials? i.e., where it originally just says "status: submitted?" I've been checking this now and it has remained as "submitted."

Thanks!

Me too. Still showing "submitted" in my application webpage.
I asked the physics dpt admissions officer via email yesterday. She replied, 'Your application has been submitted to the faculty members to review. Once a decision has been made on your application you will be notified via email.'

Now at least I know I am not yet rejected. (at least officially)
So we shall just relax and wait.

Indeed catharsis, it is that page that should eventually show your official admission decision. I've been notified of my acceptance informally by e-mail more than two weeks ago, but only yesterday I saw my formal letter of acceptance (with the financial package) on that webpage.

Thanks! Happily I got an email on Friday telling me to check the webpage and my status was updated as accepted! Good luck to those waiting! From the space between acceptances I've seen on gradcafe I'm sure they will be sending out a number more in the days to come.

university of new mexico
university of minnesota, twin cities
iowa state university

so far
still no acceptance :l

Just got the rejection from UChicago...

I wanna know which part of my application did not do me a favor.

Should I ask the dpt officer or a professor in the group I am interested in about that?
When is it appropriate to ask?

I think you can ask, but they are busy and giving you an answer may not be a high priority. I'd hate to get your hopes up, but the graduate coordinator at my school said a student who was rejected emailed asking for an explanation, and they reconsidered and admitted him. That's probably really rare though. Don't get your hopes up, but feel free to ask. What are they going to do?

TomServo wrote:I think you can ask, but they are busy and giving you an answer may not be a high priority. I'd hate to get your hopes up, but the graduate coordinator at my school said a student who was rejected emailed asking for an explanation, and they reconsidered and admitted him. That's probably really rare though. Don't get your hopes up, but feel free to ask. What are they going to do?

Thanks. I just heard back from the dpt officer: "... For applicants who would like to apply again I always suggest to try and gain additional research experience in between application periods so that you have something new to report the following year."

It's true that I lack research experience in theoretical high energy physics, while I am applying to Hep-th... (I only did 1 experimental project in optics and 1 in cosmology which is computational in my 3 years of undergrad)

Well honestly, I am not that kind of genius that can have publications in hep-th already in undergrad. I haven't even finished reading my first QFT textbook. If I need to re-apply next year, maybe I can use this year's time to read more papers and really do some research on it.

Good luck to everyone who is still waiting for the first acceptance!

Update: Rejection from Cornell...

I think UChicago values letters and research experience very highly. These two areas were the strongest in my application and I think because I was so strong in this aspect I was able to get an incredible fellowship despite my disappointing PGRE score.

It seems like people either got accepted to Cornell and UC Davis or were rejected already.

I have not heard from them at all, any idea why?

poel5279 wrote:It seems like people either got accepted to Cornell and UC Davis or were rejected already.

I have not heard from them at all, any idea why?

You've probably been unofficially 'waitlisted.' Programs can't accept every student they want right away because they don't have enough spots. So by waitlisted I mean that they are probably waiting to give you a decision until they see who accepts the offers already given out. If enough of the admitted students turn down the offers, they will give out acceptances to the students they had on hold.

XC423 wrote:

poel5279 wrote:It seems like people either got accepted to Cornell and UC Davis or were rejected already.

I have not heard from them at all, any idea why?

You've probably been unofficially 'waitlisted.' Programs can't accept every student they want right away because they don't have enough spots. So by waitlisted I mean that they are probably waiting to give you a decision until they see who accepts the offers already given out. If enough of the admitted students turn down the offers, they will give out acceptances to the students they had on hold.

This is probably true of Cornell, but Davis has been struggling with matching transcripts to applications...if you received that email about a week and half ago about it then they are probably yet to make a decision on your application. I'm in the same position.

actrask wrote:

XC423 wrote:

poel5279 wrote:It seems like people either got accepted to Cornell and UC Davis or were rejected already.

I have not heard from them at all, any idea why?

You've probably been unofficially 'waitlisted.' Programs can't accept every student they want right away because they don't have enough spots. So by waitlisted I mean that they are probably waiting to give you a decision until they see who accepts the offers already given out. If enough of the admitted students turn down the offers, they will give out acceptances to the students they had on hold.

This is probably true of Cornell, but Davis has been struggling with matching transcripts to applications...if you received that email about a week and half ago about it then they are probably yet to make a decision on your application. I'm in the same position.

I did not receive any email from Davis about how they are struggling with transcript matching...

Anyone here who didn't hear anything from or wait-listed in Ohio State?

I emailed Ohio State and was sent an email back saying I was waitlisted.

Boston University rejected by e-mail. Anyways, they could not handle me over there. I am too good for them. All you suckers! I will show you how great I am!

nik wrote:Anyone here who didn't hear anything from or wait-listed in Ohio State?

hadn't heard anything, then got rejection email 3/11.