phigirl

Gone into finance and made a trillion dollars by age 30.

Dear AdCom Gods and Goddesses,
Its me, the student who got in all of her apps and paperwork weeks before the deadline. You know the one who normally gets everything in late but thought that applying to grad school was too important to engage in the same old behavior. Well, its been a few months now and I just thought since you've had my apps, recommendations, scores and transcripts for so long that you might not only know whether or not I'm accepted to your university but inclined to tell me, too.
 
Sorry to interrupt your work flow and all. I'm trying to grade a mountain of papers myself here in Never Never Land. I just wanted you to know that I'm really, really, really, really, really ready to know.......now.
Yours truly.

this weekend, i met my S.O.'s family for the first time- his parents own a store dedicated to every sort of new age thing you can imagine (crystals, meditation, yoga, astrology, incense, and so on), and although he doesn't buy into it, i'm intrigued by it all, so i let his parents tell me about my astrology (natal chart), totem animals, crystals, etc., just for the heck of it. 
 
in short: i was told that a "chronic illness" recently cleared up, and they gave me a few stones for luck, among other things, and told me that i would have a dream that would answer a question that'd been on my mind for a while. a couple weeks ago, my doctor confirmed that i was 100% rid of a chronic illness that i've been dealing with for a few years, and last night, on the train home, i had a vivid dream that i got accepted to my second choice program via email. i got an acceptance email this afternoon from the same program.
 
dang, universe. you freaky.

http://cheezburger.com/7111144704

Obviously no one would ever do this, I just thought maybe those of us who got rejections from programs we really wanted to go to would find it funny.

I wish I had your "problems"

Eh, I would say the worst is not getting in anywhere, but that's just me.

Super cute, thanks!

AMAZING. I feel like I should have probably spaced these out to avoid eating a pint of ice cream later...

I was in this boat the first time I applied 2 years ago.  I applied for Social Psych PhD programs which take 1-2 students per professor (sometimes not even that many) so it's very competitive.  I applied to 12 schools the first time I applied and spent a lot of time researching and choosing what I thought would be a good cross-section of schools.  I got 2 phone interviews and 1 in person interview and ended up with 12 rejections. 
 
So facing the disappointment I felt since I thought I would get in (everyone always thinks you won't have a problem getting in...don't listen to everyone.  They know nothing.), I realized I had no plan B.  Luckily, I got 2 degrees in college, one in a different area, so I decided to split my job search between both fields.  In psych, I joined all of the listservs and applied to lab manager positions.  I also applied to retail or fashion jobs.  I ended up getting 2 job offers on the same day about 2 months after graduation, one as a lab manager at MIT and one as a retail manager at a department store.  Obviously, I took the job at MIT and ended up being way happier than I would have if I had convinced myself to go to the only school that interviewed me (they didn't accept me so it was a nonissue, but it wasn't a good fit for me at all anyway).  I applied again this year, to 13 schools, and was much more successful.  I got 4 phone interviews, 3 in person interviews and 2 offers with great funding at good Top-40 programs where I have a good fit.  Now my problem is trying to decide where to go.
 
Here is my advice if you are in the "didn't get in anywhere" boat:
 
1) You are not alone!  I had great experience coming out of undergrad.  Honestly, I couldn't have gotten any more than I did at my undergrad institution.  All of my letter-writers were confident, my essay was good, my grades were good, my scores were good, etc.  The fact is, there are so few spots and so many applicants that not everyone who is qualified gets in.  You are probably all qualified.  It may be the case that some of you put in more effort with your applications than others but, at the end of the day, if you didn't get in it really doesn't mean that much about you.  All it means is that some kid with a masters degree applied with your exact same credentials.  So, seriously, stop taking these rejections personally.  Obviously that's more easily said than done but you are still the smart, capable individual you were when you applied.  It's not you, it's them.  (Also, in terms of age, a lot of programs don't like to accept right out of undergrad so 25 is definitey NOT old to start a program, but it can depend on your field.  It would be rare to get an advanced business degree with no work experience, for instance.  So if you just graduated or are still in school, it is especially common to get rejected at that point.)
 
2) Write your rejectors back, especially if you had an interview.  Find out why you were rejected (or other people were chosen), specifically.  POIs are usually happy to tell you (spoiler alert: either you don't have enough experience or other students were a better match) how you could have improved your application.  Take it seriously if you want to get in next cycle and improve that application.  Also, be nice and respond with a thank you for the consideration either way.  You don't want to burn any bridges.  You may decide to apply again, or you may decide to apply for a job there someday.  Assume nothing about your future relationship with these people other than the fact that your end should always represent you as a capable professional. 
 
3) Don't stop learning about the application process since you've done it before.  A lot of people assume that they didn't get in because someone else had better grades or scores, but it can also be because you made one of a host of fatal errors that applicants in your field make.  For instance, in psych programs, and in many mentorship model programs, you are going to want to write specific professors to see if they are taking students this year AT ALL.  If you skip this step, you may have applied to 13 schools, 7 of which you never had a chance of getting into because the person that you applied to wasn't taking students.  If you are applying for these kinds of programs, so many people do this that if you don't your application will get less consideration.  Professors seek out these specific applications when people get in touch, you bring your name to their attention.  Also, people often make a lot of mistakes in their statements.  One of these mistakes can be talking to much about your experience and not focusing enough on your fit with the program/school.  Make sure to keep getting the advice from people you trust so you can avoid these mistakes next time.
 
4) Build your resume in the meantime.  When I got rejected the first round, I was told I had 2 choices to add to my experience: apply to MA programs with late deadlines or get a lab manager or research assistant job in my field.  I chose the second route and ended up with a great job that elevated my CV a ton and provided me with a ton of wonderful experience that I used to my advantage in this cycle.  A lot of people work in unrelated fields between application seasons but if your application wasn't strong enough the first time, that isn't going to change if your job has nothing to do with your subject.  Also, a lot of places want a LOR from your boss if you have a job after school so keep in mind that you will need time to cultivate a relationship with your boss for a good rec.  I waited 2 years between applications because I wanted a whole year at my job for my writer to comment on.  Keep this is mind when you are planning for the future.
 
Overall, I really don't think I would have been happy at the last place I was waiting to hear from for Fall 2011.  The mentor would have been a bad choice, both in personality and research fit.  The program is not well respected and I would have taken it just because it was the only school that hadn't rejected me (at that point, I stress again that I was rejected from this school as well).  Instead of putting a sub-par institution on my CV, I got to add a job at MIT and will soon add a great PhD program.  (This is a good part to point out that when it comes to grad school, there are no safety schools.  You could blow every applicant out of the water in terms of education, grades and scores but if other people have a better fit, that other stuff means a lot less.)  Being rejected from all of the schools I applied to actually worked out better for me.  I did reapply to some of the same schools and my 2 acceptances are both from programs I had applied to and been rejected from previously.  I had a phone interview with one and was never taken off the waitlist and, at the other, I literally never heard anything.  So keep in mind that this next year can turn the whole thing around for you.  Schools that didn't look at your app this year may be calling you as soon as apps are in a couple years from now.  The second time around worked for me.  In the time between, I got great work experience at an impressive institution with an incredible scholar I am lucky to call my boss. 
 
Remember, you are not alone!  Rejections happen more than acceptances.  Take the next year or two to work on that CV and you will be successful. 

Word. What about Canadian schools? I ask because I too was told not to go international and, fortunately, I did not listen. I was rejected from nearly all of my American choices (or admitted with no/limited funding), but accepted with incredible funding to nearly all of my Canadian choices. And, regarding "Cultural Studies" or interdisciplinary theory-heavy projects, Canadian schools seem much more embracing, competent, and accommodating. These are all generalizations, thus necessary wrong, but I dare continue to say that most of the Canadian schools that I looked at require/encourage/foster a much more independent, project/career oriented student. This is in contrast to the domestic programs that I was considering, many of which explicitly stated that they wanted to know my interests and not my proposed trajectory. To offer another oversimplification that merits easy/sleazy critique, Canadian schools offer the best of American and European systems: less coursework and more emphasis on, or assumption of, the fact that you are a competent student ready to tackle a dissertation. Of course there are benefits to a 5-8 year program in the states that requires heavy teaching loads, but i'm just sharing my thoughts and encouraging people to look abroad because i'm glad that I did so :-). The job market is dismal, period. Success is largely determined by one's hustle. Just some thoughts...

OMG, I misread the title as "my advisor invited me to move in with them?" Ummm, what?
 
Seriously, though, I know two people who transferred into our program and had to repeat some courses. One person followed their advisor, and the other person didn't like their first school. It sucks that you may have to repeat some things, but in the end I think your decision depends on your dissertation work.

My mind is not lost, it has completely withered away

Similarly, I told one of my guy friends I applied to U Mass- Amherst. His response?
"If you got in you'd have to go, cause that's where John Calipari [u Kentucky basketball coach] started coaching basketball at!"
 
Because obviously the most important criteria for choosing a program in anthropology is whether or not John Calipari used to coach there.
 
Sports people, I just don't understand them.

Since most of these are negative/cynical/ambivalent, here is a positive one:
 
I presented at a conference this weekend and a member of the adcomm at a school I applied to approached me; she recognized my name from my name tag. I talked to her for a minute about the school and its financial situation before she said "I loved your application. You're going to be a fantastic geographer."
 
After hearing a bunch of weird/negative things over the past few weeks, it's nice to be recognized.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

most appreciated-cheers to that! I've got a favorite of course (I mean really who doesn't) but I'd be more than happy no matter what. Here's hoping that it's not a really bad week next week!

Why are you having a mini-freakout? You got a fellowship offer from your top choice!

Did not know people ate them by color. I indiscriminately shovel them (or more accurately, pour them) into my maw.

phigirl, I hate to do this to you, but dipping certain cookies in apple sauce is one of the best things ever... 
 
the internet gives you permission to try this

This is by far the most fantastic thing I've seen on GC.

Yeah, the hard sciences admission process isn't easy at all.  Not saying processes for other disciplines are any more or less simpler.  When you apply and receive an interview, it's almost like a glimmer of hope, that you are good enough for the school -- I mean, why else would they pay for you to come out and visit the campus, eat free food, meet with the faculty and graduate students?  Maybe it's because I truly am an optimist at heart that I feel hopeful going into an interview, or as some places call it, a "recruitment weekend".
 
However, when it takes so long to hear anything following the interview, it's very easy to sit there and self-doubt yourself and your abilities.  Why did I say this?  Was I too honest?  Was I not honest enough?  Did I explain my research enough?  Is it because they are looking at my application, and the numerical aspects are going to hurt me post-interview after all?
 
Like I mentioned before, the post-interview waiting period is worse than pre-interview.  Keep in mind, this is merely my opinion.
 
For all you hopefuls out there, no matter what stage in the process you are at, good luck and keep your chin up as we enter into March!  I know I am, with any hope I have left!

I agree with pears. I can see the end of my sanity about a mile off, and that's being a humanities person! I feel like the vagueness of what is weighted more in our programs is both a blessing and a hindrance-in some ways it'd be nice to know what they're using but it does make it easier to justify your self-worth no matter the answer

I have the whole priority inbox thing going for Gmail, and I'm now convinced that gmail is sentient and trying to protect my feelings. I've gotten 4 decisions so far and one interview so far and it has filed the 2 acceptances and interview as important and the 2 rejections as not important. 

Group desk-ball!

I'm 26...and about to be a newly wed....yet I don't feel a day over 18 - or look it!