UIUC

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
  • There are applications, personal statements, letters of recommendation, visiting schools, anxiety of waiting for acceptances, deciding between schools, finding out where others are going, etc.

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fermiboy
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UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:27 am

Has anyone out there actually received a rejection from UIUC? The lady I talked to on the phone made it sound it like UIUC had sent out some rejections, but I haven't seen anyone saying that they were rejected on this board. Anyone know? Don't be shy.

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Helio
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Re: UIUC

Post by Helio » Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:25 am

i know somebody who got waitlisted for astronomy that is the closest to a rejection i have heard of

cancelled20080417
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Re: UIUC

Post by cancelled20080417 » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:02 pm

It is quite strange that NOBODY has been rejected from UIUC yet(acc to the data from gradecafe).
fermiboy, may be you are waitlisted there.
Good luck.

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:10 pm

Well even if they accept me at this point I might not go, because I'll be one of the last students they want, i.e. a body to fill a TA spot. I'm more interested in theoretical quantum optics than condensed matter theory anyways, and Arizona and Oregon are better for theoretical otpics, IMHO.

VT
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Re: UIUC

Post by VT » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:30 pm

A message from UIUC :
Hi,
No, no rejections have been sent yet.
Best Wishes,
XXXX
Every one out there waiting to hear from UIUC, bad news, we all have been rejected. :D yay

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:43 pm

What do you mean VT? If rejections haven't been sent out than don't we still have a chance? Or have they decided and they are just dragging their asses about sending out the rejections?

VT
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Re: UIUC

Post by VT » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:14 pm

I think they are just dragging their asses to send the rejections. JERKS!

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:19 pm

Lame VT. I know you wanted to go there.

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:01 pm

Tried to call today and got no answer. Then I looked and found that UIUC is on spring break this week, so we're still waiting at least another week.

now
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Re: UIUC

Post by now » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:31 pm

Reject from UIUC today :(

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:16 pm

Snail mail or email?

now
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Re: UIUC

Post by now » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:55 pm

email

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:44 pm

Hmmm... that sucks Now. I didn't get an email. Maybe I still have a chance? VT, if you're out there, did you get an email?

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will
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Re: UIUC

Post by will » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:54 pm

I've still heard nothing, but I assumed they forgot about me.

That's okay, I'm not going there anyway.

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:50 pm

I just talked to the UIUC grad coordinator, Wendy Wimmer, and she said there are about 100 applications that have not been rejected or accepted, including my own. She hopes to have info on these next week. So some of us still might have a slight chance at UIUC.

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will
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Re: UIUC

Post by will » Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:30 pm

How can they still have 100 files at this point, with less than a month until the deadline?

If they actually wanted me there they'd have admitted me by now. If they don't, well, someone else has already posted about their reputation for grinding their TAs and booting them when they've put in their two years.

The way it seems to me, and maybe admissionprof can shed some light on this, is that when you are admitted earlier, someone on the committee saw your application and thought they might be interested in working with you or that you were a good match for someone else's research in their department, or y'know, just that they were thinking of and lining up your success ahead of time. UIUC does have big incoming class sizes to match their big faculty, but if I get admitted now, I know it's not because Anthony Leggett sees all my potential in low-temperature CMT. It's because I speak English.

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fermiboy
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Re: UIUC

Post by fermiboy » Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:39 pm

Yeah even if I'm admitted I probably won't go because of the reasons you mentioned will. I just would like to know my status, they're my last app and I want some closure on this whole process.

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butsurigakusha
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Re: UIUC

Post by butsurigakusha » Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:57 pm

I think UIUC is trying to fix some of these problems. They said at the open house that they are trying to scale back the number of grad students in their department. Apparently, in the past few years, they have admitted more students than they really should have, and there were some difficulties getting into research groups. But it sounds like they admitted fewer students this year, and that trend will probably continue. They have about 300 grad students right now, I suspect that number will decrease over the next few years.

So if you do end up getting accepted, I would highly recommend at least visiting, if you can. I wouldn't count them out just because of some rumors you've heard.

admissionprof
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Re: UIUC

Post by admissionprof » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:06 pm

will wrote: The way it seems to me, and maybe admissionprof can shed some light on this, is that when you are admitted earlier, someone on the committee saw your application and thought they might be interested in working with you or that you were a good match for someone else's research in their department, or y'know, just that they were thinking of and lining up your success ahead of time.
I can't speak for UIUC. At many places, each application is looked at. It is either clearly stronger than the threshold for admission, clearly weaker, or neither. If it is stronger, you admit right away. If is is weaker, you reject right away. The others you go through more carefully. That takes time. Most of the work on admissions committees is over the applications that are "on the bubble" (just like the NCAA selection committee really only needs to look closely at 5-10 schools, not 65). But every place is different, so I can't be sure about UIUC.

VT
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Re: UIUC

Post by VT » Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:28 pm

It is safe to assume that we all, who have been waiting to hear from UIUC, are rejected.
If we do get in, then I will take my comment back and congratulate myself or any other people who'll accepted.
So fermiboy,you got the closure now. It is time to make the decision!!

I am going to two places for sure. :evil: Also I will be the first one in the history of Physics education attending two grad schools at the same time. :twisted:


Okay, I am waiting for NRC ranking to come out. THIS would help me so much to make the FINAL decision!!



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