RubyBright

black hole

I didn't spend as much because I didn't apply to that many programs, but it's because I only applied to ones I absolutely wanted to go to. Not to mention that there's the outrageous cost of the GRE - and sending your results - to factor in on how many places to apply to...

I agree with Simplyundrin. As long as it's financially feasible, interviews can be a great way to network. One of the PhD students in my current lab either knew or knew of someone at every university I applied to. Besides being great for me, that's going to be really useful for her in the future.

first cut

I'm slowly coming around to that way of thinking. I have an idea of when I might hear from places - does it really help to obsessively check if other people have heard today, or yesterday? I know it doesn't, but I'm still doing it anyway. Like I said, I'm slowly coming around to the idea.

I have definitely heard of professors not getting the students they wanted, but hopefully he's able to wrangle a spot for you. Good luck!

That's really great! I'm the typical broke college student, so I'll probably just go out to dinner with some friends and call it a special occasion. If I don't get in anywhere, it'll be off to job hunting, no real rewards there. If I'm admitted somewhere, I'll buy myself a bumper sticker.

My daily routine has been interrupted. One of my school's admission status check page is down.

carbon copy

Oooh. I like that one.

If you have long-term plans that are more than just "make enough money to eat," go ahead and let them know. But they're probably more interested in your during-the-program plans, unless they specify after the degree. Good or bad responses? Just be honest and be humble. If they ask about your greatest challenge, give them something real (not "I think I work too hard"), but not overly serious, and tell them how you're going to overcome it. Anytime you tell them something that may be negative, try to pair it with a positive. As for the schools, just tell them something like, "A couple of my top choices are School X and School Y," preferably in two different states, but don't give them the full list. They'll assume there are more schools than the ones you named.

hardback book

international incident

Any non-blooming houseplant will help. Just check the care tag, and it should say whether it will bloom or not. Try for something with lots of foliage (i.e. not desert plants); as suggested, a spider plant would be good. Just remember to occasionally put the whole thing in the sink and gently rinse it off, as the leaves will collect dust, which is bad for both you and the plant. Make sure that you vacuum regularly, and keep the filter in your vacuum clean, as well as any brush bar on the bottom. Dust with dust-trapping items like Swiffers, but wear a dust mask while doing so. An air purifier is a great idea, like the others said, if you can afford it.

Actually, I'm not worried about the new class - I was more worried about them getting my final transcripts if they admit me and wondering what happened to the old one, even though it was unrelated. Silly, I know.

When I submitted my applications, my transcripts included my in progress classes for the spring semester. Since submitting the apps, I changed one of my elective classes. The class I dropped was completely unrelated to my field, and I actually replaced it with a class that is in my application field. Do you think I need to inform my schools of this?

Peanuts comics

natural redhead

I feel like the site needs to increase the number of available upvotes for a day if people are going to keep getting acceptances. I want to upvote everyone's messages about getting into their schools!

cotton fields

Well, probability generally depends on all outcomes having an equal and random chance of occurring... so I'm not sure there is good math on this one. However, don't let that stop you if you can bad math your way to keeping your sanity until you're accepted somewhere.

solar power

Check for your program here: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php

The first school I applied to never sent me an interview invite, so I assume it's a rejection, but... yeah, I'd be glad for an actual rejection so I can stop checking the application just to be sure.

nuclear family