Shutout Count

[psych face]

Just curious if anyone else wants to share their stories.

 

I was shutout last year and was totally bummed out about it, but it gave me some time to take some extra classes and get some experience, so I believe that it was a good thing in the end.

Edited November 22, 2014 by psych face

[Piagetsky]

This thread is going to make me hyperventilate.  Planning on doing my first apps in 2015, but I can't stop thinking about this.  

[Rose Tyler]

I can't stop thinking about it either and I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do if I am. I could move back home but I live in the middle of nowhere so the odds of getting a job at all are slim. Getting relevant experience would be next to impossible.

[VulpesZerda]

Not sure what I might do, either. One idea I have is to move nearby my top choice school and enroll in courses as a non-degree student. Can't hurt, right? Not sure what my source of income would be, though. My SO's income probably wouldn't support us both on its own. If I stay home I think I would go crazy - I already lived with my parents and sister through undergrad. So another option would be to move into the city and try to find a research job. Either way, I would reapply at least once more.

[kaswing]

I have a friend in another social science field whom I've always been in awe of and who convinced me that I could do this. She got a TT, R1 job at a school with a very relevant and powerful institute in her specific field after graduating last year, but she had to put it on hold for a year to take a post doc at Harvard. I was telling her how afraid I was of being shut out, and she told me not to worry: she didn't get into her school (one of the best in her field) until her 3rd year of applying. Surprised and encouraged me, hope it might help with the inevitable anxiety in this thread

[Lisa44201]

I was shut out my first time applying. I got a Master's degree, and am now finishing up my second year in a PhD program that I had been rejected from the first time I applied. Good luck!

[lhommependu]

i feel neglecting to include "i was accepted my first application season" as an option in the poll makes the concern look worse than it is

[when]

i feel neglecting to include "i was accepted my first application season" as an option in the poll makes the concern look worse than it is

Agreed - I got in during first application season and having applied to only two schools. I feel extremely lucky, though.

[psych face]

i feel neglecting to include "i was accepted my first application season" as an option in the poll makes the concern look worse than it is

Sorry, didn't think of that. It wasn't intentional.

 

 

I have a friend in another social science field whom I've always been in awe of and who convinced me that I could do this. She got a TT, R1 job at a school with a very relevant and powerful institute in her specific field after graduating last year, but she had to put it on hold for a year to take a post doc at Harvard. I was telling her how afraid I was of being shut out, and she told me not to worry: she didn't get into her school (one of the best in her field) until her 3rd year of applying. Surprised and encouraged me, hope it might help with the inevitable anxiety in this thread

 

That is helpful. I've always wondered about things like that. Some people make jokes like "they just sit around and roll dice or flip coins" to see who gets in. But some stories, like that one, kind of make it feel that way sometimes.

Edited November 28, 2014 by psych face

[AvatarPsych]

i feel neglecting to include "i was accepted my first application season" as an option in the poll makes the concern look worse than it is

^ This. 

[lhommependu]

Sorry, didn't think of that. It wasn't intentional.

Wasn't being critical, i just wanted to reassure the already stressed out lil undergrads that they shouldn't shart their jorts thinking there'll be on average at least one shutout for every two applicants.

 

Tho I guess there probably aren't a lot of current students still frequenting the forums so maybe that wouldn't look any less skewed :/

[constant_wanderer]

I was shut out last year, and my advice to folks is: be realistic in your applications. If your gut is telling you that you need a bit more research experience, you probably do. If you are only applying to Ivy League schools without the CV/marks to match... you might want to reconsider. And do have a steady Plan B in case you don't get in, which means you might want to be searching for work while waiting for the interview invites in January.

[psych face]

I was shut out last year, and my advice to folks is: be realistic in your applications. If your gut is telling you that you need a bit more research experience, you probably do. If you are only applying to Ivy League schools without the CV/marks to match... you might want to reconsider. And do have a steady Plan B in case you don't get in, which means you might want to be searching for work while waiting for the interview invites in January.

 

That's actually good advice for everyone. When people ask me if I'm nervous waiting, I usually tell them 'not really, I have x,y,z backup plans so I don't have to get that worried about it' - of course, that's only something I figured out after a shutout. Having back up plans takes all the stress away. It's also really convenient when former professors offer you jobs. I've been pretty lucky in that regard and have a lot of gratitude for my profs. - regardless, I have back ups for next year, three different backups, to be precise, that's how much I didn't want to worry about things anymore. Stress is lame.

[Realities]

I was accepted my first application season (just to add to the data for that option, since it wasn't included in the poll).

 

Good luck to all!