lucifer2

Sometimes the schools tell you about the missing letters of recommendations. If I were you, I'd check with every single school from which you have yet to hear from to see if your application is complete. This happened to me, too. I think it's fairly common for professors to miss a school or two since they're doing so many LORs. Good luck!

Like you said, you don't even know if the professors had read your applications. I don't think your thank you notes will come across as arrogant but I am sure they will look odd.

I have been having strange thoughts these days. I've been analyzing the psychological makeup of people around me that are also applying for grad school through my observations (which could also just be my projections of course). Also, now that I think I am kind of safe, I start thinking whether a PhD will do me much good. What if I get into a lesser-known program, how would others see me? Do I care? Is a PhD still worth getting given the possible prospects? My friends are great and my family is very supportive but none of the people I feel I can talk to care or know much about getting a PhD so there's only so much support and advice they can give. I feel lonely sometimes. To make things worse, I have some toxic friends that make me feel worse than I already do. I know I can stay away from them, but the damage's been done. Sorry, I really need to vent.

so i found out that i have long been rejected by the school that's at the very bottom of my list. they've updated my status for a while, it's just that i didn't check. i honestly don't like that school, so i'm fine with the rejection. but with no acceptance in hand yet, i'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to disregard the rejection just like that. God bless everyone here.

When do you think I should start calling or emailing the schools from which I haven't heard anything? I don't want to look too desperate and freaked out by calling the departments up too early to ask about the progress of my applications, but only a few schools that I've applied to let me check the admissions results online. And some schools send out rejections first and won't update the status online until 10-20 days later. I live on the other side of the planet so it takes forever for me to get the letters. Of course, it's the same with acceptances that are snail mailed. I know the schools that I've applied to have started reviewing applications and based on the history on the "Results" page, most decisions should have been made by mid-March. But here's the problem, there aren't that many posts of my dicispline in the "Results" page and worse, I didn't apply to the ones posted there. I could of course wait until April and ask but I don't want to. :| Anyone got any advice? I don't get it, why do some schools still do snail mails? It's as if the waiting isn't tortmenting enough!

no, what sucks most is to have heard nothing but a rejection from a safety school that is at the bottom of your list.

I haven't heard anything yet, but I am praying that I get at least one acceptance before I get my rejections. Rejections will still hurt but you know you're going somewhere, which makes them a hell lot easier to take.

It's really nice to have a place like this from where I can get moral support at this moment. Me and my colleague were talking earlier and while I was telling him how nerve-wracking I find about still not hearing anything yet, it just struck me how nice he has been for listening to me talk about my applications every day.

A religious person I never was but I've sunk so low as to have had tarot readings and fortune tellings about my applications. Bad influences from some new acquaintances that are very superstitious (just kidding). I think I need to ask for forgiveness from God. He won't blame me for my moments of weakness, will He? I certainly hope not. Right now, I'm a fairly regular visitor of this place. It will be at least half a month later before I start getting offers and rejections and I'm freaking out already. I sincerely thank my family for putting up with my fretting. And words of comfort from trusted friends definitely help make my day.

If you happen to be rejected everywhere, no doubt it's gonna hurt. If even your safety schools reject you, this could mean that you are not good enough even for the programs that you deemed barely acceptable. There are two options here, do something to make your profile look better or forget about getting a PhD. You can also blame your zilch acceptance on bad luck and try again next year. I think unless you're in the fields where having a PhD is very critical for career advancement, you can use the next school year to explore your other options. Maybe the rejections are a blessing in disguise. Yeah, MAYBE. This is what I tell myself anyway. For me, Plan B is to go back to work but what kind of work? I can push papers or count beans but I don't want to. I honestly feel like there's not much I can do if I can't get in anywhere. My test results are pretty decent for the schools that I'm applying to. I'm done with my degree so there's nothing I can do about my GPA or the recommendation letters that I can get. I have thought of getting something published but I lack data. I hope none of us will have to seriously comtemplate Plan B.

i've got one interview so far and will be doing some but i haven't received any rejection and/or acceptance yet. this waiting period is killing me and it doesn't help that i'm a worrywart. so what do you do to... stay sane? mind sharing?