FALL 2008 acceptances

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:47 am

email!

Thanks RRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

am I going where? to cornell? or to the visiting weekend? Of course I'll be visiting, I gotta wait and see where else I get in before I know if I'll be going. But it is definitely at the top of my list right now.

dlenmn · Post by **dlenmn** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:52 am

Congrats! That's awesome.

christopher3.14 · Post by **christopher3.14** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:26 am

Hey everyone, been using this site for so long but never registered till now. So a belated Hi.

I'm doing experimental condensed matter. I got into Univ Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Rutgers, so far. I have still yet to hear back from UCLA, UC Berkeley, Columbia, and NYU. (I applied to a lot to make sure I end up SOMEwhere!)

I'm not sure if it was a plus or negative, but Columbia sent me an email asking me -- out of nowehere -- where else I applied and if I had been accepted. I was honest -- was this a good or bad move?

TheHawkBat · Post by **TheHawkBat** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:10 am

I got into Stony Brook today! No idea what kind of support, just an e-mail. Honestly I am shocked as I have horrendous GRE scores for a program like theirs! Anyone else heard back from them?

dlenmn · Post by **dlenmn** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:21 am

@ TheHawkBat, christopher3.14

Congrats to both of ye! You should post profiles.

christopher3.14, the Columbia thing is kind of weird... at least it indicates they haven't forgotten about you...

jdhooghe · Post by **jdhooghe** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:37 am

TheHawkBat,

Freakin A man, thats great! I also applied there and I will hope for an email today.

woooster · Post by **woooster** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:01 pm

@christopher3.14,

I heard the similar thing from a friend, but from princeton. The prof basically asked him if he got in anywhere else and would like to come to princeton....

My friend said, "Thanks, but I think I like going to MIT."
Prof. replies"Thank you for your honesty. We are sorry we won't offer u admission in this case."

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:04 pm

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:05 pm

I heard the similar thing from a friend, but from princeton. The prof basically asked him if he got in anywhere else and would like to come to princeton....

My friend said, "Thanks, but I think I like going to MIT."I heard the similar thing from a friend, but from princeton. The prof basically asked him if he got in anywhere else and would like to come to princeton....

Well, if they asked me ex post facto I would politely refuse to answer. An offer for admittance should not be conditional.

woooster · Post by **woooster** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:10 pm

Twistor,

I agree with you an offer should not be conditional. But so? They can do whatever they want. Especially some private top schools, a connection or having a research matching prof make the the better applicants.

It is possible that the prof at Princeton is looking for someone to work in his lab, and he saw you application and find you ideal. But if you don't want to come, there is no point to accept u and he rather accept someone that would more likely to work with him.

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:41 pm

I agree with you an offer should not be conditional. But so? They can do whatever they want. Especially some private top schools, a connection or having a research matching prof make the the better applicants.

They have no right even to ask that question in the first place. They can't do whatever they want. Schools have to live up to the same kind of business etiquette we hold everyone else to.

Schools only get away with this because we don't hold them accountable.

Imagine if you went on a job interview and the interviewer asked you if you were considering other companies. If you said, "yes, I'm considering some other places" and they said, "We'll we're not going to hire you then.." would that be acceptable?

I think in that case they didn't really want you anyway. If a company or school wants you they'll make you a competitive offer.

When I told my advisor I was applying to graduate schools I was asked if I would consider staying at my present school and research group for graduate studies. I said I hadn't really thought about it and then it was suggested to me that my current research group might be able to offer me some perks if I stayed, including fellowships so I wouldn't have to TA and a better financial package than the schools I was applying to. In the end I declined because it wasn't what I wanted to do. My point is that if a school or research group wants you bad enough they'll be willing to negotiate. If they're quick to dismiss you they never really liked you anyway.

calphys · Post by **calphys** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:47 pm

@ twistor

Having just come out of doing that whole interview process myself (just in case I still don't have any acceptances come April 15) I can tell you that they do ask you where else you're applying. And guess what, they make offers based on who they think will accept them, which means they're taking it into account.

It's perfectly acceptable.

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:48 pm

exactly same thing happened to me also. A Prof from Brown called me, asked me about my research and then asked me if I am going to come to BROWN. How can we tell beforehand that we are sure to go to one place over the other withouht even visiting those places? I felt really awkward. I like their research very much too, but I am not 100% sure until I visit. Now if they reject me for not giving a definite YES, they will be in loss, NOT me. At least we shud be given a chance to visit the places we are accepted to then they can ask us if we will accept their offer or not. I do not understand such weird phone calls!

woooster · Post by **woooster** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:50 pm

you can always say "yes" and change your mind later....

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:51 pm

And guess what, they make offers based on who they think will accept them, which means they're taking it into account.

So what you're saying is that everyone should strategically put they only applied to the school whose application they're filling out?

Attempting to make guesses like that would become self-defeating very quickly.

It's perfectly acceptable.

If you think it's acceptable then you must enjoy letting people walk all over you.

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:52 pm

wooster, i could have done that, but I would feel rotten after wards. I said I like your research and I want to learn more about the research and vist the department.

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:54 pm

you can always say "yes" and change your mind later....

In the context of what's been going on this seems like a perfectly fair tactic to me.

You should never feel guilty about doing things like this. You have a purely business relationship with your graduate school. This is a prefectly legitimate business move. If the school's willing to be underhanded you should be too.

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:00 pm

yeah, i think I will do that too, from next time on( if i get any phone calls)

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:01 pm

You can always tell them you got a better offer later on, just like you can always quit your job or change your mind about taking a job you were offered. There is nothing wrong with it.

woooster · Post by **woooster** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:13 pm

Yes, Twistor. it's time for us to fight back!

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:16 pm

If students were assertive in the first place these kinds of things wouldn't happen. We need to rewind 30 years and organize some protests.

christopher3.14 · Post by **christopher3.14** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:42 pm

Wow. Well I'm glad it wasn't just me. I didn't know how to take it. Part of me thinks, if they see I got in somewhere else then they WON'T accept me. But friends say it'll make them want you more.

Not sure.

Congrats to everyone else being accepted places. Is anyone considering moving far from home?

I know I'd have to visit UIUC first since it's in the middle of corn-fields!

admissionprof · Post by **admissionprof** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:47 pm

As an admissions director, I'm surprised that anyone would ever make an offer conditional on whether it would be accepted. That's awful and IMHO, unethical. Of course, admissions people like to know what students with our offers are thinking, and it helps us enormously if a student says "I'm leaning towards accepting" or "I'm leaning against accepting", since it helps us manage our waiting list. But to make an offer conditional on something like that is disgusting.

I agree that saying that you will likely accept their offer seems a perfectly reasonable response, even if you really have no idea. You can change your mind later, as long as it's before April 15th. It would serve them right.

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:03 pm

As an admissions director,

It's great to have some feedback from the other side of the fence. It's reassuring to know that not all admissions staff think like that.

So maybe you can answer this question for me, admissionprof:

Does your own institution (top 50 but not top 20?) ask students to list what other institutions they have applied at? If yes, how do you use this information? If no, why do you think schools are asking?

This question appeared on two of my applications and I was up in the air as to how to respond. On the one hand it is an academic institution and you feel an obligation to answer honestly. On the other you don't want to affect your chances of gaining admission.

admissionprof · Post by **admissionprof** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:07 pm

I sometimes ask students where else they've been accepted, especially when they visit, or when we communicate afterwards. I use it only to estimate, in my own mind, the chance that they will accept, which is then used (when integrated over many students) to estimate our yield, and thus whether we can go to the waiting list. It has no effect at all on the way we treat the student. I can also fairly compare us with other places in their area of interest, and if another place is stronger, I don't lie to them.

admissionprof · Post by **admissionprof** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:08 pm

Oh, I just realized that you've been asked that before you've been accepted. We would absolutely never do that.

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:20 pm

Hey dlenmn:

I got the official letter from Wisconsin. The deal is exactly same as yours. After going through their housing rates, I have started thinking that it is a good deal.
So, when are you visiting Wisconsin? Have you sent out the visiting form?I was thinking of sending the form as an email attachment instead of mailing it. I am visiting them on the 6th of March. I will see you there if you decide to visit on that weekend.

EDIT: I am afraid that theory student like me might end up TAing all our life in public shools like Wisconsin and UIUC as wooster pointed out in another thread.

I do not know what Brown is going to do with me after that weird phone call.

fermiboy · Post by **fermiboy** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:32 pm

I actually look forward to TAing. I love teaching, which is one of the main reaons I want to be physics professor. That and the fact that physics profs are chick magnets.

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:50 pm

UCLA !!!!!

(email). official offer still in the mail

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:50 pm

how are Physics Prof chick magnets, fermiboy? in my school every one gets scared with physics Prof.

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:51 pm

grae313:
you shud share some of your offers with us also. You are officially flooded with offers. Congratulations again!

geomar · Post by **geomar** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:18 pm

Woot grae. Offers rolling in from left and right. Grats.

Congratulations to nvanmeter, vroomfondel, mrclean, butsurias3nd%fp5oaskusha (sp?), physicsstudent, schandre, christopher, Hawkbat.....

Um, basically grats to everyone posting something other than just "congrats" on this thread...

fermiboy · Post by **fermiboy** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:24 pm

VT you forgot to turn on your sarcasm meter.

dlenmn · Post by **dlenmn** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:48 pm

@ VT

I haven't decided which weekend yet. I've got a final sometime around the earlier weekend, and I'm still waiting to find out if it conflicts or not. I'm leaning towards the latter weekend (it's during the fist week of spring term, so I'm definitely not going to be bogged down in work then). I'm going to make the call and send in my stuff tomorrow -- I wanted to wait a week to see if anything else would come in. For better or worse, nothing has. If I don't see you there, I wish you luck with your visit.

twistor · Post by **twistor** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:08 pm

Oh, I just realized that you've been asked that before you've been accepted. We would absolutely never do that.

Do you think schools are using this information to determine whether or not an acceptance should be offered in the first place?

vicente · Post by **vicente** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:47 pm

Anyone hear from Brown yet?

VT, you said you got a call from a prof?

I'm really worried!

VT · Post by VT » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:18 pm

hey vicente,
yes I got a phone call from a Prof on my cell phone while I was working in a very noisy place. I could barely hear him and he suddenly asked me of my research experience. I was not prepared to answer any specific questions like that without any prior notification. I felt good after the conversation and he was impressed with my research work.
So that was about it. He did not say whether I was accepted to their program or not, but he kept asking me if I would join Brown, given the offer and I said I am very positive and interested in their research.

Good luck .

vicente · Post by **vicente** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:29 am

Good luck with Brown, VT. I'm sure you'll get in.

Anyone got news from UVa? According to last year's thread they should have started sending out acceptances by now.

jdhooghe · Post by **jdhooghe** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:53 am

Big money, big money, big money....STOP!

*** nothing in my email....

It seems Google Talk is in cahoots with my graduate schools. It sees it pertinant to skip all my other emails that came before me actually submitting my UMich application and display:

University of Michigan
Rackham Graduate School Admissions

Dear jdhooghe,

Congratulations!
You have successfully submitted your application....

/sigh

fermiboy · Post by **fermiboy** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:59 am

I have a new acceptance to report. I have accepted the fact that I won't get into any of my schools besides my safeties.

schandre · Post by **schandre** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:28 am

So, I just got another acceptance: Florida State University! But it wasn't good news as I thought.
I'll quote part of their e-mail because I could really use some help here, or at least know how some of you would handle such situation.

"Due to serious budget constraints within the University we would appreciate your acceptance or rejection of our offer as soon as possible, but no later than February 29, 2008."

1st: I will be in a Conference/Workshop in Poland from tomorrow to March 1st and I don't think I can make such decision in a rush and in a place I'll be focused on something else.

2nd: My other acceptance up till now is Texas A&M. And I really don't know which of the two I would rather go to, although I lean towards FSU.

3rd: I also applied to IU (Bloomington) , MSU and UW (Seattle) which seem to have stronger Nuclear Physics programs than FSU and TAMU. However, I don't think I will have an admission/rejection letter from all these places before March and turn down FSU's offer so soon.

It's been just half-hour I got the mail and I am already freaking out....

surjective · Post by **surjective** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:52 am

In physics, having lots of money to fund research is very important. So I would think twice about going anywhere (FSU, for example), that is facing very tight budget restrictions

jdhooghe · Post by **jdhooghe** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:30 pm

Damn it surjective, why aren't you onto? Don't you want to be bijective?

nvanmeter · Post by **nvanmeter** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:32 pm

surjective is onto!

jdhooghe · Post by **jdhooghe** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:37 pm

Lies! Surjective only means that each element of set B is an image of A. It doesn't gauruntee onto-ness....unless I am getting my definitions mixed up. >.<

woooster · Post by **woooster** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:59 pm

schandre,

The official reply date is April 15th by Council of Graduate studies. They states clearly, if the school have you make decision or you made decision before April 15th. It's ok for for to write them and cancel the acceptance before the date.

However, if you change your mind, you need to get permission from them to "release" you.

schandre · Post by **schandre** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:33 pm

Thank you surjective and woooster for your replies.
I'll take those advices into account when the time to make a decision comes.

fermiboy · Post by **fermiboy** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:02 pm

Are you sure about that wooster? Unless you sign some sort of contract, I think you are free to change your mind whenever you want. It's not like the school owns you. It might not be possible to go to another school that year, but they can't force you to attend even if you accept their offer.

nvanmeter · Post by **nvanmeter** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:06 pm

not that it matters, but that is precisely the definition of onto...that every element of B is an image of some A, aka the function maps A onto all of B. but whatever, this is silly. anybody hear back from any new schools today? i got a fellowship offer from santa barbara today!

PH · Post by PH » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:07 pm

I have a friend who accepted a seat in UMN last year and at the very last minute (Apr 16) got into UW. He didnt have to get permission from UMN but it definitely didnt make them happy.