PhDhopeful2013

You're on a roll!! Congratulations! Clearly your SOP was right on point Did you get the UNC email from a prof, or was it an auto-email? (Im guessing it was from a prof, but just checking...)

Congrats! Things are moving...

Does anyone know if UNC always does interviews? Or have they done them in recent years?

Awesome! Congrats, Quigley! Now you can celebrate

Good luck!!

Agreed. If someone going into any field or any line of work has unrealistic expectations about it (i.e. "i'll be CEO by 25!"), then they will surely have a reality check to come to grips with. Similarly, if someone hasn't fully vetted the trade-offs and opportunity costs associated with his/her job or field of choice, then he/she may be surprised down the road. Also a person's interests and goals change over time and with experience, which adds to the complexity of finding a fulfilling livelihood balanced with personal and material contentment. All of this is part of maturing, becoming an adult, and getting to know oneself fully, and unfortunately handling some substantial disappointments and challenges along the way is necessary. the process is not unique to academia, IMHO.

On the bright side, starting next week repeated email and status checking will be fully justified!!

Congrats to the latest admits!!

yes! i would love to have an acceptance in hand right about now... it would reduce my stomach-churning anxiety down to a level more akin to intense curiosity.... but sincere congrats to everyone already accepted somewhere so far!! soon the results board will start heating up for all of us! gonna be fun....

thanks. didn't apply there... guess I'll have to find another way to rationalize obsessive status checking!

just curious about which school udated the website before sending the letter? (so i can direct my obsessive checking appropriately if i applied there!!)

Congrats, alittlebitofluck!!

I would like a healthier approach too, Quigley! I haven't gotten to the sleepless night phase, but i do check GradCafe and my email more often then i probably should... It's more during the workday for me because i am at the point where i am bored and really need a change. I'm just hoping to know what that change will actually look like soon (be it a phd program (yes!!) or a Plan B (meh... for now)). But life goes on either way, so I'm appreciating the positive vibe posts!! We might as well be optimistic at this point. It feels better than pessimism, and the admissions results are out of our control now! I bet some schools start releasing results by the end of next week (Michigan maybe?)... Any other guesses?

Have Columbia's apps always been due Dec 1st? If the due date was earlier this year, then I could see results coming out earlier too. If not, then i think the posted results do seem a bit suspicious...

So true.... And increased coffee intake!

That's a pretty great wake up call! Congrats!!

Well i think most acceptances will be out over the first two weeks of Feb, based on the results board of last year. Seems as though most rejections come out later... end of Feb or early March. So I'm definitely hoping for at least some action in early Feb!!

Yes!! Haha kind of sad to be living this way - just waiting for the days and weeks to be over until "results time".... But we're almost there!

you read my mind. i'm in a very similar situation. the prospect of enjoying what i do during the majority of my waking hours for the next 40 years far outweighs the time and income trade-off required over the next 5 or 6 years....

Congrats! I have a question about phone call notifications... Are they usually just brief "You got in! Congrats! More info is on its way.." Or do the conversations get more detailed. For instance, does the caller want to get a feel for how likely the applicant is to accept the offer? Just curious... in case I'm lucky enough to receive one of these calls, I want to be prepared!

i've had to get a few books via EZBorrow recently. the library sends an automated message at every step of the process for each book (order placed, order shipping, order received...) Every single time i see the auto-email come through my heart stops for a sec because I think it's an application-related auto-email... yes, i am in fact losing my mind!!

To echo what adaptations said - don't despair!! it souds like you have a great background and stats, so I'm sure your SOP is good. And worst case, you apply again next year with a whole new arsenal of experience. I too was rejected across the board a few years ago and lived to tell! hopefully I will have better results this time, but I definitely feel much more prepared to enter a PhD program now. Despite how crappy it felt to get rejected, I did take comfort in the fact that going through multiple application cycles is actually very common; plus my application is stronger this time around because I learned where my weaknesses were. If you are really worried, in addition to applying for jobs, you could apply for a few stand alone MA programs. Some actually do offer funding, so it's better to apply now when funding decisions are being made rather than waiting until after all of the phd decisions are final and MA funding (if any) has been allocated. Good luck to you!!

Will definitely be checking this one out!! thanks

Yay!! Congrats, nohika

SInce you have a lot of work experience, another suggestion would be to look for admin jobs at nearby universities. Mostly all colleges and universities offer tuition benefits for staff. So you could take a few classes through the benefit and see if being back in the classroom is envigorating for you. Since your employer (the college/university) is paying for it, you won't have to worry about finances. Also, working at a college or university can give you some other great service and travel opportunities. If you work there, you could get involved with some service groups or even volunteer to chaperone some student trips. Even if your job is on the admin side, you'd get exposure to academia and see if it would be a good fit. I'd imagine working at a college would be more interesting than at a bank (only b/c you said you're bored there) at least while you figure out your next step, I'd echo the advice on here that going to grad school just to get out of an unfullfilling job and to "find yourself" is prob not the best way to go, financially or otherwise... Good Luck!!