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Vincenzo

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Posts posted by Vincenzo

    How do you say goodbye?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    If I'm making a request I'll close with some manner of appreciation over the person having taken the time to read it ("Thanks,"). Otherwise, people get a dash and my name (usually indicating finality or the formality associated with being a relative stranger) or they get nothing at all (which for me is a symbol of familiarity that says I don't feel like I need to be formal; you know who I am, so you don't need my name there, and you also don't need me to BS you with insincere, mostly automatic, social conventions).

     

    Everything else just seems trite.

    Does any of the schools notify people in alphabetical order?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    The rule is, by convention, that they notify in whatever order puts me last. Way last. Laster than the last one after the lastest to be receiving of notifications.

    And don't worry, me is you too. Too. Too... Hi!

     

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get back to the conversation I was having with the wall. Ok, and the door. The door too. Too. Sometimes it chimes in. And that's ok. We're ok. Everything's ok. [twitch]

     

    ...

    ..

    .what? /shrug

    Withdrawing an Application

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    sansao, I see you've got a couple more interviews (at least). Should we assume from the nature of the post that you've already committed to this one acceptance? If not, you've got quite a bit of time left before you need to. It's very common for folks to wait for everything to pan out before choosing a school and the programs are used to people being accepted to multiple places and so having to turn down acceptances (but you probably know all this). They know you've got to choose the best option for you and so shouldn't take it personally.

    If you have committed however, and do want to back out, it'd probably be good to write a letter to the program/graduate office explaining the situation and have that letter endorsed/(forwarded with his/her own notes) by the advisor. In which case, I agree with slaNYC in that sooner is probably better than later (just to keep relations pleasant and your reputation in the field intact). However, sleeping on it a bit more would still be wise. And having another lily pad to jump to before deciding would be nice too.

     

    Either way, even in a place you love and really do want to be, earning a PhD is one heck of a mountain to climb. For how long could you make yourself do it in a place you don't want to be with only the hope that something better comes along while you're there? (Although, changing direction a bit is actually pretty likely regardless.) This is what I'd be thinking about. But unless I had somewhere else to go, it'd be getting weighed against having to go through all this again. And I'd get my PhD on Rikers Island to avoid that. ... ...

    Anyone else losing their damn mind?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    So my friend is applying to PhD programs in a different subject... He was notified of an acceptance today at one of his top choice schools (after rejections from a couple others)!!! A few hrs later, he was told that it was a "system error" and he did not actually get in :( This makes me TERRIFIED to find out/announce my results ://

     

    I would love for that to happen.  Print Button + Attorney + Telephone = Accepted. Done.

    Anyone else losing their damn mind?

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted · Edited by Vincenzo

    immensely. so glad i'm not the only one who's weirded out by those kinds of results postings..

     

    it also really ticks me off when people flaunt their "accomplishments" in the details section, despite getting waitlisted or rejected, then make some sideways comment that implies the program made the wrong choice, or they (the applicant) are incapable of being a less-than-perfect fit. not to sound like a jerk.. but what's the point of bragging about your gpa, number of pubs, etc. when it has little to do with the fact that you weren't accepted? to stroke your own ego? to downplay the school's decision? talk about intense entitlement. woof.

     

    Though I haven't done so myself, I do see some benefit in folks posting this kind of info on rejections and such. And if they make a sideways comment to blow off steam I just look at it as exactly that. We're all carrying a mountain of stress around and if expressing a bit of frustration/anger/disappointment under the umbrella of anonymity in a little online forum gives some relief I say go for it. It's better than pounding back a fifth and going for a drive.

    And as it pertains to the benefit of accomplishments posted with rejections, it helps me get an idea of just how thick the competition for a program is. Yes, it's heavy everywhere for everything, and there are factors (SoP, LoC, etc) not related to stats that contribute. But, if I see a bunch of folks getting rejected for a program I applied to that have publications and conference presentations and master's degrees and great numbers then I know it must have been damn hard to get in and either I feel really good about still being in the running or less bad that I got knocked out.

    Application Status: Water Torture

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    I checked an application late last night and saw it was said "decision made: university acceptance" but I haven't heard from anyone. I had checked that morning so they must have updated it in the afternoon. 

     

    I'm hoping they'll contact me soon. The irrational paranoid part of me is thinking the acceptance on the application site is just a mistake! 

     

    Hit that screenshot button until it breaks!

    Application Status: Water Torture

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    And while I'm ranting, here's another observation that grates on me. It's good to note on the applications that you've applied to fellowships; it shows that you're doing your part to try to get funded on your own and the adcoms will appreciate the commitment. Bonus points. Yay. Good. Great.

    But. It seems like their knowing means a risk of ending up in the hold out pile. "Oh, he applied to four fellowships, let's set him aside till April and see if he gets one." This is what I feel like they're saying. Especially for the applications that closed two-ish months ago.

    If this goes out to April for me without word, by the time I do get an admission (if I do), I won't care anymore. "I'm accepted? Oh. That's neat. Send papers to Amityville Mental Asylum. Care of Inpatient Coordinator, Solitary Ward. Use padded envelope. Maybe I see you in August. Stockpile Thorazine. [insert random weird scribbling in a different color]. Ok. Bye."

     

    (And don't get me started on the fake waitlists, or not sending rejections for several weeks even after the vast majority of applications are beyond consideration.)

    Application Status: Water Torture

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    Definitely.  For me, the worst seems to be Cornell.  I can't *quite* figure out exactly where, if anywhere, the online page might suggest I'd been accepted or rejected.  It all looks like one big blur of "yeahwegotyourapplication".

     

    Pretty much. My Cornell app through applyweb gives a happy green Submitted icon and then below it in the Checklist it shows Application Status: Complete. Yaaay [sarcasm].

    MIT is worse - you get no info at all. Pointless to ever log in again. I think that's just because every applicant should assume rejection immediately upon submission. Thanks for fee. Have nice life.

    Application Status: Water Torture

    in Waiting it Out

    Posted

    I kind of hate USC right now. On the online application it says "Status: under review". This leads me to believe that it might one day change to "accpeted" or "rejected", even though I'm pretty sure they mail out the results. Anyway...next to that it says "CONGRATULATIONS, your application is complete!"

     

    It is SUCH a fake out. I don't understand why they put so much emotion into that simple little idea. I want results!

     

    My UCSD applications (both of them) have been like that ("Status: Under Review") for two thousand years now. Or, maybe it's only been a couple months. I can't tell.

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