2012 Acceptances

I know it's April 3 and 4. I want a detailed schedule of activities, since I may not have time for everything....

Do you have it? Their admin staff members are quite unresponsive to foreign students, even though a professor has already told me I'm admitted.

Dude. Use the phone.

List of offers from students applying from USTC (a particular Chinese university): http://bbs.ustc.edu.cn/cgi/bbstcon?boar ... 20212890.A

to transparent_silvery. Did UCSD send you an official admission letter or at least an admission e-mail? (A professor contacted me like two weeks ago and I haven't heard back from them since then)

i got the admit letter two days ago, but financial details not out yet... dunno why this year they're unreasonably inefficient.

im going to open house btw.

Are they at least partly reimbursing you for travel expenses ?
I found it weird that there was no mention of the open house in the email, which is supposed to be in less than 2 weeks. Maybe they don't really expect internationals to come to the open house ...

Yup. UCSD doesn't reimburse int'l students. But if you still want to go you can email them.

I managed to bargain for $100, because I'm staying in a friends house so they don't have to book hotel for me.

I've already tried to complain on behalf of all international students...

I just heard from two Johns Hopkins professors. Any internationals got offer earlier than I do? I want to know if my offer is second-round, or they are puttig international students after domestic, like UCSD does.

Actually, this practice does drive me away from UCSD and JHU. I mean, if they don't chase after me, I should also act cool.

That's odd. They should at least reimburse you the maximum amount they reimburse domestic students. I googled and found this link http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/grad/i ... sement.php which indicates that they reimburse up to $350 for east cost residents. You might be able to ask them to do so.

I've declined their offer, since I don't think it is worth the extra money and the time to visit there; they are not my top choice right now, and I expect their financial offer to be relatively low.

Yes. That's odd. I complained to both a professor and an office lady... they want to stick with their practice.

I'm considering UCSD. besides that their new faculty is somebody I'd like to work with, the cost of living there is relatively low.

I can get my privacy like bringing boys to my room with $500/mo in UCSD, but in UCSC it seems to be $971, even though UCSC will give me more money...

Caltech also reimburses up to 350 USD for international visitors, and they agreed to increase this to 450 USD because I stayed at a friends' place when visiting, instead of costing them a hotel room.

Ohio State will give up to $700, and they can consider giving more.

UCSD claims its a common practice of all public schools, but i dont think arguing with them will get me any benefit.

Few days back, I wrote to a chair of graduate school admission. He got back to me asking for my TOEFL score as its missing. So, he told that they couldn't evaluate my application as the score is missing.

Further more, its mentioned that this year admission is exceptionally competitive with 180 applicants. He also further mentioned that they are very impressive of my application.

However, by mistake, there was a fragment of lines meant for another applicants. It talks about his application being very impressive and at the some time he was politely rejected.

Further, he sent a corrected email and apologized for the confusion caused due to the fragmented lines. He told that its wasn't mean for me. For me as the score is missing, they have not started my evaluation yet.

What does he actually mean by my application being very impressive and asking for TOEFL score? Do you think its a positive response? Do I stand any chance here?

I have received many rejection letters (this year and in the past) that start with them saying that my application was very impressive, etc.

It could be a good sign since you now know they have rejected some people already, but they have not rejected you, so maybe you have made it past the first cut.

I don't want to be a party pooper, but I would also consider another alternative. It could be possible that the school doesn't not want to make any decision (accept or reject) until the entire application package is complete. Maybe they are afraid if they reject a student with an incomplete package, the student would ask for a re-evaluation once the package was complete.

I don't think an admission decision would hinge on a TOEFL score (unless it was really bad). So it might be possible that they already know what their decision will be, and are just waiting for the complete package so they can give the result. Or, they haven't even looked at your application yet, since the TOEFL score was missing (and the fragment about an impressive application might be for someone else, or leftover from their standard form letter).

So I would say, get your score to them ASAP and see what happens! Maybe they will accept a scanned hardcopy of your scores until the official ones arrive.

PS: Sorry that I basically mention pretty much every outcome possible! But that's the point, I don't think you can really get any kind of reliable information from this email exchange, other than you should get your scores to them ASAP.

Thank you TakeruK. You are very true. I can't get any concrete information out of this email exchange. I have sent an unofficial score copy as the Prof told that at this stage official score is not required. The unofficial score may serve the purpose, he told. Let me see how it turns out. I am very nervous.

One more thing. As the April 15 deadlines is near, should I write to those schools from where I have not so far heard a single word asking for any decision if they at all thought about my application? Or shall I wait until April 2 to write to them as many other do waiting to hear till last minute?

I just received a reply of my email status enquiry from the director of Graduate school of a university I applied. He told that they are about to start making their final round of acceptance soon and I would be getting my decision in next 2/3 weeks. Why didn't they tell straight that I am rejected if I were? Do you think I am still in consideration? Am I waitlisted or something?

It could mean either. Technically the 4/15 deadline applies to 1st rounders, if after that deadline 1st rounders don't reply or turn them down the school is under no obligation and thus can and will send out other acceptances. It could also mean they're sending their generic email to everyone who inquires. Some schools don't both rejecting most people until after the deadline simply because all they've focused on until then are the people they have accepted.

Hey, before people start drifting away from the forum, please don't forget to add your profiles (or update them if you already have).

Thanks.

Anyone in the situation that you have one acceptance but also in waitlists of other schools?..What if they do not reply until after 15 April?..And what if you have accepted the only offer, but then offered by one of the other schools? These are some profound questions, indeed..

They cannot reply after 15th - it is the final deadline for every school. Basically, this week is when everything is going to be decided for everyone, as all of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Actually, if you're on the waiting list of a school, they don't have to say yes or no before the 15th---after all, they may not hear from people they've made offers to until one minute before the deadline. But they are realistic to know that if they wait until after the deadline, almost everyone will have committed to some school, and thus are very unlikely to get anyone (except those without offers, of course).

How would a university where I am at waiting know that I have or haven't commited an offer? How will they even know that one has got some offer or all on waiting without single offer until or after 15th April? Why won't they offer after deadline if they still have vacancy? This is not really clear.

They will offer after the deadline if they still have a vacancy. I don't know from where you got that they won't.

Just to clarify, April 15 is the deadline for students to reply to
offers of financial assistance for graduate school. We cannot require
you to respond before this (although, as we've discussed on other
threads, earlier responses are beneficial to everyone, and you do not
need to have made your final decision before contacting schools that
you know you will not attend). For our part, we try to make all offers
before April 15, since we know that our top applicants will have offers
from other schools as well, and thus will not be available after April 15.
However, many programs will continue to admit off their waitlist until
they've reached their target enrollment numbers. Some programs continue
to admit students until the day before school starts. Thus, while the
bulk of the graduate admissions process will wrap up this week, there
will be a handful of offers extended during the next few months as well.

For those of you waiting to hear from other schools, it is now appropriate
to contact the department to let them know that you are still interested (if
you are). We cannot make offers off the waitlist until we have heard from
the majority of students to which we have already made offers, but we
often can let you know whether or not we think it is likely that we will
be using the waitlist. While that is not as helpful as an actual offer
(or rejection), it should help you make your decision. [It is also helpful
to withdraw your application if you know that you will not accept a
last minute offer, as that will help us make offers to those that are
still interested in a more timely manner; however, only do this if you
know absolutely that you are no longer interested in the program.]

Accepted to University at Buffalo [M.Sc. in Physics], via email inquiry, 24.4.2012.

Congratulation ali8 on your offer! Did you get funding for your MS program at Buffalo?

I am still waiting to hear from 4 schools where I am waitlisted. No responses at all inspite of my email inquiries post 15th April. God knows what's happening with me.

I do not know. The professor only said that I am admitted.

Anyway, since I am a Fulbright nominee, Funding is not an issue for me.

Finally accepted for PhD program at Northern Illinois University in the field of Experimental High Energy Physics with TA stipend of $1654/month and full tuition fee waiver. Looks like I am finally going to graduate study this fall. Huhh..h I can end this limbo at last!!

Accepted to Imperial College London, MRes in Nanomaterials, department of Chemistry (yes, chemistry).

Date: 17/5/2012.