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[shrek]

It is in a department's best interest to nominate students most likely to accept an offer of admission.  If a fellowship is offered to a budding star chooses another program, that money is not available to fund to another student. 

All Most phone calls are good.  Most phone calls after the application deadline are part of the wooing process.

this is exactly how we do things in my university. We nominate our top students for one of a couple of fellowships. We will get the fellowship automatically if the student accepts. But, if the student turns it down we lose the student and the fellowship. So, we usually talk with the student informally to find out whether they are likely to come to our program.

[captain_obvious]

I'd take it to mean: "We want you.  Not all the students we admit will get funding, though, and we really want you, so we want you to get funding.  But, once we nominate you and you get awarded the money, if you don't accept our offer, we can't give the money to another student.  We just lose the fellowship altogether.  So.....we're not going to nominate you for the fellowship unless you're really, really sure you want to come here.  What's it gonna be?"

[rysal]

Congrats, pandamonium!

Just to put some perspective on things for you, sinece you are a self-identified "high strung" person: Most of your Ph.D. program will seem like Huge, gigantic, terrifying mountains in front of you, but once you have finished, they will seem more like hills.

I dreaded my comps. Now I laugh that I even worried.

Thank you :)  I find that reading posts by fellow forumites is very helpful in terms of gaining perspective and learning tips (e.g. zealous alcohol consumption as a tool to combat stress, check plus (half kidding)). 

It is in a department's best interest to nominate students most likely to accept an offer of admission.  If a fellowship is offered to a budding star chooses another program, that money is not available to fund to another student. 

this is exactly how we do things in my university. We nominate our top students for one of a couple of fellowships. We will get the fellowship automatically if the student accepts. But, if the student turns it down we lose the student and the fellowship. So, we usually talk with the student informally to find out whether they are likely to come to our program.

This would be great if true.  I was under the impression that fellowship nomination does not mean guaranteed funding, at least from reading last year's admissions-related posts with regard to funding offers (4/15 being the magical deadline).  I will be able to talk to "my" (dare I finally use this possessive adjective?) professor in a week or so, but it would be nice to know more about this strange process beforehand because I am still a total wimp when it comes to asking about/for money.  Yes, yes...  I'll need to snap out of that mindset in short order if I want to avoid a diet limited to instant ramen.

Thanks to everyone again for the posts, and good luck to those of you waiting to hear back.

rysal

[contemporary_]

The fellowship isn't guaranteed, but funding is.  They have probably put you up for a university fellowship against top students recruited by other departments.  It will be 'a lot' of money compared to the package they will offer you from departmental funds if you are not awarded a fellowship.  The numbers game is key with such fellowships.  Your GPA and GREs are a big part of what makes an applicant competitive for university fellowships.  If a department has several strong applicants that can win university fellowships, they can fund a very strong cohort.

You will get an offer, no matter what.  The difference will be in the number of years of support, the size of the stipend and what role teaching and/or research assistanceships play in eligibility for those funds.  Fellowships are the best, because you aren't required to work and you get more money than if you did TA/RA.

If there is another school you are interested in, wait for their call/offer and tell them you are up for a fellowship.  You may even be able to leverage your package to get the best of everything at the school of your choice.

Congratulations.

[pamplemoose]

Just to put some perspective on things for you, sinece you are a self-identified "high strung" person: Most of your Ph.D. program will seem like Huge, gigantic, terrifying mountains in front of you, but once you have finished, they will seem more like hills.

I dreaded my comps. Now I laugh that I even worried.

This is so true, about everything in life.  I remember dreading the 6th grade.  "I'll have so many different teachers, and I'll have to *gasp* change classes. Before you know it, I'll be taking Algebra.  The numbers will be letters!"

I've gotten into some pretty amazing programs so far, and so the dread of, will I measure up? Is the committee sure they knew what they were doing? has started creeping in.

Thank you for helping me put things in perspective!