2012 PhD Business Admissions/Waiting Thread

[levycyrus]

how can we distinguish rejection from wait-list? i have not seen any gradcafe activity on rejection notifications...preparing for heartbreak =T

I think there is no way to distinguish rejection from wait-list. As frayed said unless they really know they don't want you (sorry strategyphd) they don't send rejections. I think they don't want to reject anybody they can technically accept, just in case. You know they'd prefer to have a whole list of candidates to a list of top 10 candidates because of "what if those top 10 people accept other offers?" Even Harvard doesn't send early rejections although a list of top 15 candidates would be more than enough for them to find their students.

And I think any list is a form of wait-list until you receive a rejection letter. So I am just assuming that receiving no rejection emails through February is a good thing because you are probably in the wait-lists, but it also means that you aren't the top candidate in the lists, and there can be other candidates ahead of you in the wait-list.

[levycyrus]

Same here - good luck!

Good luck to you both, CSFive and Peot.

I think you had only 2 days to prepare for this one. I though they would let you know about the interview earlier to give you at least 5 days to prepare. It is making me nervous. What if somebody calls me and tells me that they'll interview me tomorrow? Can you really prepare for an interview in one day? Or even worse, what if they call me and want to talk with me right there at that time.

[CSFive]

Good luck to you both, CSFive and Peot.

I think you had only 2 days to prepare for this one. I though they would let you know about the interview earlier to give you at least 5 days to prepare. It is making me nervous. What if somebody calls me and tells me that they'll interview me tomorrow? Can you really prepare for an interview in one day? Or even worse, what if they call me and want to talk with me right there at that time.

I received the e-mail late last night, and had my interview today. It was about 15 minutes (10-15 was the estimate in the e-mail), which is why I think they preferred to move quickly, though times were also offered later this week, with the option of early next week as a worst case scenario. I think they prefer to minimize the stress and excess preparation of applicants (my 10-15 minute interviews have both had very short notice, while my 30 minute interview had a week notice, though it was still almost as informal). I did do some prep work, reviewing briefly the research scope of my interviewer, her peer heading the committee (I wasn't sure whether it would be one or both interviewing me - it was just one), and the faculty I had mentioned in my essay. I also reviewed my essay. Overall it was very straightforward, and most of the preparation wasn't needed, but I prefer to prepare for the worst case in all professional interactions. It was maybe 5 minutes of questions to me, and 10 minutes of me asking questions, and the interviewer was extremely friendly. I've felt like I could hang out having a beer and hours of conversation with all of my interviewers, but this was the most comfortable interaction yet - she seemed super amazing/cool.

One thing that excited me about this program was the emphasis on how difficult it is. If I'm going to work hard anyway, I like the idea of working the hardest and becoming the best. Part of the interview was making sure I was familiar with how difficult it would be, relative to some interdisciplinary programs (this program is very quantitative/analytical). I already felt up for the challenge, but their emphasizing it makes me like the program even more (it is why I chose this subset/specialty within the school - though I didn't say that). At NYU they have a similar split, and I asked about the primary difference between the economics strategy program, and the management strategy program, and they said the econ program was harder and more rigorous, which immediately sold me on applying to the econ program (I didn't write that in my essay, because it sounds like BS, but I like a challenge). I think it may be an extra challenge for me, because I've been working for a while (I actually wondered if I had any shot at the more quantitatively challenging programs, based on that), but I've been working on developing my skills in reading academic papers and solving quantitative problems for a while.

Feeling good about this one - though as time has passed since my other interviews I got more and more nervous about those, so we'll see.

[CSFive]

Is anyone else taking online courses while they wait? The Model Thinking course (Model Thinking) now has the first two sessions available as preview videos. I'm hoping for a good introduction to concepts that will help me switch to research, and I'm also hoping for some math practice from something other than a book.

[itsmephd]

Someone on gradcafe has posted that their application to Columbia for Marketing is under review. Is it someone here? Did this person receive an email saying this?
My application status doesn't say anything - does this mean they aren't considering my application even for review?

Congratulations to everyone with an interview/acceptance! Good luck to everyone else (and me!).

[MolBioMBA]

I called Columbia to check the status of Management apps (ok, I confess, I've called every school!) and a very nice gentlemen told me that the status only changes when a final decision has been made. Don't fret yet!

[analyzethis29]

I called Columbia to check the status of Management apps (ok, I confess, I've called every school!) and a very nice gentlemen told me that the status only changes when a final decision has been made. Don't fret yet!

Oh thanks MolBioMBA! Are you the same person who updated about UCLA Anderson?

[itsmephd]

Thanks MolBioMBA!

It's impossible not to fret though. I haven't heard a peep from anyone!

On a side note, is anyone having recurring dreams that in some way relate to applications? I had a rather interesting one the other day - I was in the movie Inception and I was invading the dreams of all my POIs and planting the idea into their heads that I would be an awesome candidate. Except, my dream self was never sure if it was a dream or reality. And then I'd wake up and for one glorious nano-micro-milli-second it would feel real.

[gretta19]

Thanks MolBioMBA!

It's impossible not to fret though. I haven't heard a peep from anyone!

On a side note, is anyone having recurring dreams that in some way relate to applications? I had a rather interesting one the other day - I was in the movie Inception and I was invading the dreams of all my POIs and planting the idea into their heads that I would be an awesome candidate. Except, my dream self was never sure if it was a dream or reality. And then I'd wake up and for one glorious nano-micro-milli-second it would feel real.

Please send this to PhD Comics immediately. Or start PhD Applicant Comics.

Also, yes, I have been having dreams about being rejected/admitted to programs. They've been nowhere near this original or creative!

[lauren]

Is anyone else taking online courses while they wait? The Model Thinking course (Model Thinking) now has the first two sessions available as preview videos. I'm hoping for a good introduction to concepts that will help me switch to research, and I'm also hoping for some math practice from something other than a book.

I am - I watched the first few videos today. I'm also taking several others - need some distraction at nights