Fall 2014 Application Sweat Thread

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 3:46 pm

Let's kick this thread off.

Am I the only who's already crazy anxious about hearing back? I want to know already. This is torturous!

Has anybody else looked at GradCafe and estimated when they'll hear from each school?

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:33 pm

You're definitely not the only one. Thought of making this thread a few days ago, but didn't want to have the distinction of doing so two years in a row.

Having gone through the whole process before doesn't make it any easier. I keep thinking that I have a much better chance this year compared to last, that I've learned from my mistakes, but you never know. We're in for a long few months.

dasgut wrote:Has anybody else looked at GradCafe and estimated when they'll hear from each school?

Yep. Have a list ready.

For those who don't know about this: GradCade has a results forum: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=math* (or any other appropriate search string). Not 100% reliable as there are a few spam results and some times universities don't follow the same pattern as they did the previous years, but it does give a good indicator for many schools.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 9:08 pm

I hear ya! This is my third dance

Luckily, I have an easy job that pays beaucoup bucks!

boo78 · Post by **boo78** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:58 pm

Trying not to think about it too much. Even though my deadline isn't until this Saturday I met my personal goal of submitting my app before Christmas. It was so hard to hit "submit", because then that would mean there was nothing more I could do about it. But I did, and now I'm trying to just let go and focus on other things I can do something about, like my job and family. I, too, have the security of a job that I can stay at indefinitely, though it certainly doesn't pay "big bucks", which is part of my reason for going back to school. I can make more as a grad student than full-time at my current job. Since I only applied to Cornell, it's an "all eggs in one basket" situation, which is both more and less stressful. I feel the added pressure to get started on the road to higher income as soon as possible since I have a family to provide for. So, yeah, sweatin' a little, but keeping it under control so far.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:24 pm

boo78 wrote:Trying not to think about it too much. Even though my deadline isn't until this Saturday I met my personal goal of submitting my app before Christmas. It was so hard to hit "submit", because then that would mean there was nothing more I could do about it. But I did, and now I'm trying to just let go and focus on other things I can do something about, like my job and family. I, too, have the security of a job that I can stay at indefinitely, though it certainly doesn't pay "big bucks", which is part of my reason for going back to school. I can make more as a grad student than full-time at my current job. Since I only applied to Cornell, it's an "all eggs in one basket" situation, which is both more and less stressful. I feel the added pressure to get started on the road to higher income as soon as possible since I have a family to provide for. So, yeah, sweatin' a little, but keeping it under control so far.

Have you thought about just going for a higher paying gig? It looks like you've got a great resume! I'm with a sub-Ivy consulting firm - think Accenture, big 4 not MBB - and the pay's great. Granted, the work isn't exactly simulating, but the hours are good in my industry specialty.

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:13 pm

(Michigan Ann Arbor) In Wolverine Access, my status still says "Application is Not Complete". Application submitted a week ago. It confirms receipt of official transcripts, GRE scores, all 3 recommendations and payment. Why would it still say incomplete?

avemarya · Post by **avemarya** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 2:25 pm

Gasquet, were the recommendations sent in recently? Sometimes they are slow to change the status if something was sent in within a day or two...

A word of advice to anyone taking the GRE, make sure you put in your full legal name when you take the test. I didn't and it's now biting me in the rear... most of the schools ended up not "receiving" the scores, and I have had to call each department to make sure they were able to locate the test scores... I thought I was done before Christmas, but no...

At this point I would be happy to get in just about anywhere...

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 9:50 am

avemarya wrote:Gasquet, were the recommendations sent in recently? Sometimes they are slow to change the status if something was sent in within a day or two...

A word of advice to anyone taking the GRE, make sure you put in your full legal name when you take the test. I didn't and it's now biting me in the rear... most of the schools ended up not "receiving" the scores, and I have had to call each department to make sure they were able to locate the test scores... I thought I was done before Christmas, but no...

At this point I would be happy to get in just about anywhere...

Probably must be something like that.

I don't think you need to worry too much for that. Most schools are used to name differences in the GRE, especially if they receive a lot of international applicants(including MS and all fields). Problems like full name not fitting in are much more common than you would think. Moreover, most schools also have the unofficial scores which you entered in the application. They can just ask for official scores again if they haven't received it.

seanlikesmath · Post by **seanlikesmath** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:22 pm

Almost done with my mound of 28 applications... 22 submitted, one draft of a personal statement to review and 5 more to write. As happy as I am to be nearly done with all that, after this weekend I will have nothing more to do for this except wait... blarg.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:30 pm

seanlikesmath wrote:Almost done with my mound of 28 applications... 22 submitted, one draft of a personal statement to review and 5 more to write. As happy as I am to be nearly done with all that, after this weekend I will have nothing more to do for this except wait... blarg.

28 apps??? Damn, bud! Did Sallie Mae give you Stafford loans for those colossal app fees?

seanlikesmath · Post by **seanlikesmath** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:30 pm

No, my family is helping a lot, though. When I was talking about applying to a few schools because of my limited funds, my father basically said "apply to as many as you can and I'll cover what you can't." So, go dad!

Seyrena · Post by **Seyrena** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:00 am

God! I can't wait any longer! This whole process is highly stressful! At this point, I just hope I will get in somewhere, anywhere!

dylanbyte · Post by **dylanbyte** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:19 pm

I have never been so stressed! I just need that first acceptance and I can go back to living my life. The uncertainty, both of what is happening to your future plans and when you will find this out, is tortuous!

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:23 pm

I suggest women and whiskey to get pass the anxious times

l0019 · Post by **l0019** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:35 pm

Time to start looking for jobs, any suggestions?

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:38 pm

l0019 wrote:feeling pessimistic about my apps Time to start looking for jobs, any suggestions?

Big 4: In particular, AVA at Deloitte and the Big Data division at PWC. I've had nothing but positive interactions with KPMG
Accenture
IBM
Palantir
Research Labs (Livermore, JHU APL, etc.)
NSA

What'd you major in?

l0019 · Post by **l0019** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:50 pm

dasgut wrote: What'd you major in?

(pure) math @ small liberal arts school. also have some cs and physics, but no stats.

how competitive are those jobs? I'm just looking for something short term to do while I study for mgre and apply again, but it would be nice to make decent money.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:28 pm

l0019 wrote:
dasgut wrote: What'd you major in?
(pure) math @ small liberal arts school. also have some cs and physics, but no stats.

how competitive are those jobs? I'm just looking for something short term to do while I study for mgre and apply again, but it would be nice to make decent money.

Not tremendously. Throw out apps to all of them. Also, talk to your profs and friends to see if they can get you referrals in.

marco · Post by **marco** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:59 pm

Hey Gasquet! I wish you the best of luck for this year! I am sure you will get into some amazing schools!

asdfqw · Post by **asdfqw** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:44 pm

Any idea when UChicago is gonna send out results...

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:05 am

marco wrote:Hey Gasquet! I wish you the best of luck for this year! I am sure you will get into some amazing schools!

Hey marco, thanks. Not as anxious as I was last time though, as I have a really good Plan B. How's grad life treating you?

asdfqw wrote:Any idea when UChicago is gonna send out results...

UChicago is generally the earliest to give results. They generally give a majority of their admits in Jan, with the rejections following in early Feb. This week is quite likely for them. If not, next week for sure.

poorasian · Post by **poorasian** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:16 am

GPA much lower than all of yours, and I don't really have anything that stands out. Not to mention, I haven't even taken abstract algebra (decided to take graduate courses instead).

marco · Post by **marco** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:06 pm

Hey Gasquet! Grad school is great! It is a lot of work though! Did you apply to UMN?

ynxysunny · Post by **ynxysunny** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 6:31 am

There is already a U Wisconsin offer on grad cafe. It seems pretty early for Wisconsin to release their results compared to previous years. Has anyone else heard any news? I feel so anxious about this.

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:08 am

marco wrote:Hey Gasquet! Grad school is great! It is a lot of work though! Did you apply to UMN?

Nope. I decided not to give any school(except one, UT Austin) the pleasure of rejecting me twice.

ynxysunny wrote:There is already a U Wisconsin offer on grad cafe. It seems pretty early for Wisconsin to release their results compared to previous years. Has anyone else heard any news? I feel so anxious about this.

It's probably fake. U Wisconsin has a LOT of results over the years on GC, and not a single one of them has been in January. Fake results for math are not too uncommon on GC, unfortunately.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:49 am

ynxysunny wrote:There is already a U Wisconsin offer on grad cafe. It seems pretty early for Wisconsin to release their results compared to previous years. Has anyone else heard any news? I feel so anxious about this.

It's either a fake like Gasquet said or possibly some sort of private placement type deal where admission was arranged ahead of time.

boo78 · Post by **boo78** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 11:27 am

dasgut wrote:
boo78 wrote:Trying not to think about it too much. Even though my deadline isn't until this Saturday I met my personal goal of submitting my app before Christmas. It was so hard to hit "submit", because then that would mean there was nothing more I could do about it. But I did, and now I'm trying to just let go and focus on other things I can do something about, like my job and family. I, too, have the security of a job that I can stay at indefinitely, though it certainly doesn't pay "big bucks", which is part of my reason for going back to school. I can make more as a grad student than full-time at my current job. Since I only applied to Cornell, it's an "all eggs in one basket" situation, which is both more and less stressful. I feel the added pressure to get started on the road to higher income as soon as possible since I have a family to provide for. So, yeah, sweatin' a little, but keeping it under control so far.
Have you thought about just going for a higher paying gig? It looks like you've got a great resume! I'm with a sub-Ivy consulting firm - think Accenture, big 4 not MBB - and the pay's great. Granted, the work isn't exactly simulating, but the hours are good in my industry specialty.

I tried looking for a job for which I met the minimum requirements and didn't require a huge move (so either in the Central NY area or telecommuting), and came up empty. Most required a PhD, 2-3 years experience, and/or were in a completely different part of the country. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places? Plus, I do love my current job. I love teaching, and so becoming a prof would allow me to keep teaching as part of my career but make a lot more money. Plus I do love the academic environment. But if a private, industry opportunity came about that was really sweet, I'd certainly consider it.

boo78 · Post by **boo78** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:43 pm

dasgut wrote:I suggest women and whiskey to get pass the anxious times

Well, I don't care for whiskey. Also, I have a husband, and an extramarital lesbian affair sounds like more trouble than it's worth right now.

So, how about we expand this suggestion to "sex and alcohol". That way it's inclusive to all genders, sexual orientations, relationship statuses, and liquor preferences

And in that case, it sounds like a good plan to me.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:04 pm

boo78 wrote:
dasgut wrote:I suggest women and whiskey to get pass the anxious times
Well, I don't care for whiskey. Also, I have a husband, and an extramarital lesbian affair sounds like more trouble than it's worth right now.

So, how about we expand this suggestion to "sex and alcohol". That way it's inclusive to all genders, sexual orientations, relationship statuses, and liquor preferences And in that case, it sounds like a good plan to me.

Ha ha. I'll second that.

dylanbyte · Post by **dylanbyte** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:10 pm

Somebody told me that the more you refresh your grad application status,the more likely you are to be accepted, does anyone know if that's true? They didn't say whether this affects funding.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:54 pm

dylanbyte wrote:Somebody told me that the more you refresh your grad application status,the more likely you are to be accepted, does anyone know if that's true? They didn't say whether this affects funding.

Someone is trolling you hard.

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:29 pm

dylanbyte wrote:Somebody told me that the more you refresh your grad application status,the more likely you are to be accepted, does anyone know if that's true? They didn't say whether this affects funding.

This is absolutely true. Checking your grad app status often shows the AdComs that you really want to get in, at least much more so than the other applicants who don't bother checking the status as often. I, for one, check every status 5 times a day. I'd recommend a minimum 6 for you if you want to have an advantage over me.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:43 pm

Gasquet wrote:
dylanbyte wrote:Somebody told me that the more you refresh your grad application status,the more likely you are to be accepted, does anyone know if that's true? They didn't say whether this affects funding.
This is absolutely true. Checking your grad app status often shows the AdComs that you really want to get in, at least much more so than the other applicants who don't bother checking the status as often. I, for one, check every status 5 times a day. I'd recommend a minimum 6 for you if you want to have an advantage over me.

I find this extraordinarily hard to believe. There are too many things that app check rate can signal. For example, I checked my apps once to make sure everything was in. Since I use gradcafe I know when I'm likely to have an app update so I won't even check my apps again until then.

Have you heard this from a professor?

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:39 pm

dasgut wrote:I find this extraordinarily hard to believe. There are too many things that app check rate can signal. For example, I checked my apps once to make sure everything was in. Since I use gradcafe I know when I'm likely to have an app update so I won't even check my apps again until then.

Have you heard this from a professor?

I find it extraordinarily hard to believe that you took my previous post seriously.
Maybe it was just the whiskey talking.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:18 pm

Gasquet wrote:
dasgut wrote:I find this extraordinarily hard to believe. There are too many things that app check rate can signal. For example, I checked my apps once to make sure everything was in. Since I use gradcafe I know when I'm likely to have an app update so I won't even check my apps again until then.

Have you heard this from a professor?
I find it extraordinarily hard to believe that you took my previous post seriously.
Maybe it was just the whiskey talking.

Ha. I wish! It's more likely the multitasking talking. Although, with my now demonstrated brilliance in this thread, I think we see why I'm having to apply for a third time, lol.

yl2868 · Post by **yl2868** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:42 pm

Gasquet wrote:(Michigan Ann Arbor) In Wolverine Access, my status still says "Application is Not Complete". Application submitted a week ago. It confirms receipt of official transcripts, GRE scores, all 3 recommendations and payment. Why would it still say incomplete?

When will you be able to see the receipt of supporting materials after you have the access to Wolverine? I just submitted my application 2 days ago...

THanks

tsloth · Post by **tsloth** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:15 pm

Ugh, I'm a complete maniac over here. Would love to hear something so I have some sense of what my future looks like...

Ryker · Post by **Ryker** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 2:20 am

Gasquet wrote:It's probably fake. U Wisconsin has a LOT of results over the years on GC, and not a single one of them has been in January. Fake results for math are not too uncommon on GC, unfortunately.

Actually, it's probably not. When I asked a while back they told me they would be reviewing applications in January before Spring Term starts and that they are hoping to send decisions out shortly after that. Well, instruction begins on Jan. 21, so it wouldn't surprise me if the strongest candidates already got a positive response.

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 3:03 am

yl2868 wrote:
Gasquet wrote:(Michigan Ann Arbor) In Wolverine Access, my status still says "Application is Not Complete". Application submitted a week ago. It confirms receipt of official transcripts, GRE scores, all 3 recommendations and payment. Why would it still say incomplete?
When will you be able to see the receipt of supporting materials after you have the access to Wolverine? I just submitted my application 2 days ago...

THanks

I saw the receipt of supporting material in about 2-3 days. Transcripts + GRE scores on Wolverine, and recommendations immediately on the original application form. But, it took almost 10 days for the application status to change to "Application is complete" in wolverine.

lowdt · Post by **lowdt** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:51 pm

I wonder if the first waves are coming later because lots of professors are at the Joint Mathematics Meetings. (JMM was earlier last year...)

ihatepencils · Post by **ihatepencils** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:08 pm

There's a yale admit on thegradcafe

. Do people think this is real?

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:10 pm

lowdt wrote:I wonder if the first waves are coming later because lots of professors are at the Joint Mathematics Meetings. (JMM was earlier last year...)

I don't see a reason yet to believe that they are coming later. Last year, there were just a handful of results on GC before the 19th Jan. And other than RPI and U of Chicago, most of them were unofficial. The early schools will probably start replying next week.

dasgut · Post by **dasgut** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:33 pm

What's everyone going to do to celebrate their bevy of acceptances?

dylanbyte · Post by **dylanbyte** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:20 am

I am going to have a night in eating junk food - takeout pizza and chocolate pudding, to celebrate my forthcoming American lifestyle. I hear that the streets are paved with gold there!

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:41 am

^^ Do you want fries with that?

ihatepencils · Post by **ihatepencils** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 1:53 pm

Another yale admit on gradcafe...things look bad for me

Ryker · Post by **Ryker** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 4:17 pm

ihatepencils wrote:Another yale admit on gradcafe...things look bad for me

Yeah, terrible

goatman2743 · Post by **goatman2743** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:46 am

Someone just posted a Washington applied acceptance on gradcafe. Their deadline was 1/15 so maybe (hopefully!) it's fake. Looks like their first wave of admittances last year was around 2/5.

Gasquet · Post by **Gasquet** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:01 pm

goatman2743 wrote:Someone just posted a Washington applied acceptance on gradcafe. Their deadline was 1/15 so maybe (hopefully!) it's fake. Looks like their first wave of admittances last year was around 2/5.

The 30K fellowship does look fishy, but the time is not. Last year their deadline was Feb 1st. And replies came within a week.
They are quite slow in sending emails though. Their first wave takes more than a week to complete, so you could still be in it.

boo78 · Post by **boo78** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:16 pm

I'd like to say that my job (giving final exams this week) and my kids (16mo and 3.5yr) are keeping me too busy to brood over this, but alas, I still seem to find the time. At least the program I applied to is very consistent in their first wave offers, so I practically know the day to expect something. But 3 weeks seems like so long right now . . .