First news from grad schools
I got an unexpectedly early reply from the University of Wisconsin, and I've been accepted to their PhD program in History (11th ranked, nationally). I'm pretty stoked, because it's a good school and an excellent backup choice, should I miss out on the programs further up on my list. It's also pretty damn encouraging given the prestige and quality of the school - if I can get into Wisconsin, it means I've got an awfully good shot at getting into UCLA, or Chicago, or Minnesota, etc. This early reply has also made me extremely antsy to hear from the other schools.