What decides acceptance to a grad school?

Question

Now that it is the time of year where hopeful future scholars are having fates decided by the all-but-transparent grad school application process, questions are arising. How is it that one can get a fellowship at a top program, yet be rejected by mid-line programs? What exactly is the logic behind who gets accepted and rejected to a program?

(And please, spare the trite "Sometimes life just works out that way" bit.)

Answer 1

It's called "fit."

The graduate admissions committee is made up of faculty. After all the numbers are crunched (GPA, GRE, etc.) and the letters of rec are read, the faculty rank the candidates.

Ok, you knew all that... but....

The applicants, in their personal statements, specify their subfields of interest, and their methodologies of preference. So it comes down to the opinions of the specific faculty member(s) whose specializations match (or do not match) the applicant's.

Imagine Applicant A. She's into Elizabethan theatre, and uses postmodern feminist methodologies. Imagine Professor B and Professor C. B does 19th c Russian theatre, but is into neo-Marxist analyses. C does postmodernist feminist methodologies, but in African-American literatures.

Who is going to advise Applicant A if she is admitted? Professor B? If so, does she want to supervise work on Elizabethan theatre? Can she? Does she even know the current literature in that area? Odds are, Applicant A doesn't fit with Professor B.
What about Professor C? Is he willing to take on this student? But does he know the current literature? Let's say he is willing to make the leap. Oh no! He is only an assistant professor, and not up for tenure for three years! It would be an injustice to admit Applicant A, because the committee can't be sure Professor C will be there for long, and frankly, who would hire (eventually) Applicant A for a position in Elizabethan theatre when she worked primarily with an Americanist?

Result: Applicant A denied, on grounds of lack of FIT.

Hope that helped!

Answer 2

I don't know the why's and wherefore's associated with grad school acceptance. It may have something to do with a person's major and whether or not spots were filled already or whatever. Usually when people or in grad school they are assistants either in the classroom or in the lab. It may be that schools accept students based on who they need and where they need to be placed in order to keep the faculty happy. Personally I was accepted at every school I applied to--I just had to figure out what program would work best for me. I don't regret the decision at all.

Let me emphasize, placement is some programs is much more difficult than in others. Right now it's very tough to get in the door at some schools because their criteria is so stringent and they have few selections to offer.

I don't know what kind of logic is applied for acceptance or rejection--it is basically what works for the school and the needs of the school.

Good luck.

Answer 3

It depends a lot on the program, and what they are looking for. It also depends on applicants who have common research interests with the professors. Obviously you have to meet the requirements, then it really depends on the essay you write and how it corresponds with the program...meeting and/or having connections with professors doesn't hurt either.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

money - lots and lots of it.