pears

i got my first rejection last friday, and it really didn't bother me at all. wasn't my favorite, and i was in the middle of a nice long weekend with my S.O., so it was nice to actually have another definitive answer. on the one hand, i feel like i can handle any/all rejections that ensue, and maybe even deal with the cryptic limbo that is being waitlisted.. but on the other hand, i'm a little nervous that i'll still have an emotional outpouring if my two favorites shut me down. at this point, the two responses i've gotten have made me totally greedy- i just want some more answers! hah. more than anything, the poor attitudes and extreme stress i'm seeing on the results boards and in the forum posts here are driving me nuts. i think it's time to make a calming manatee thread...

sorry for the caps lock but I TOTALLY THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO CALLED THEM THAT

tangerine trees (and marmalade skiiiies...)

it depends on the fellowship: some are taxable, some are tax-free, and some are partially taxable. seems to depend on a variety of (somewhat opaque) factors. i would use whatever contact info was on the award letter to just ask for a full explanation- it'll definitely save all parties involved confusion and hassle down the road, and i'm sure they understand any/all questions you'll have about it. if they've awarded fellowships before, they probably know exactly what kinds of questions their recipients will have, and i bet they'll appreciate that you're being thorough and responsible! or, if you can't get a hold of them, you can always try to get in touch with an h & r block sort of place to see if they can answer your question. congrats on the fellowship! sorry i couldn't be more helpful, but it really does seem to just depend on the fellowship.. case-by-case basis i guess.

half life

you might have more luck if you post this in the "interdisciplinary studies" or "arts" section, down at the bottom of the forums, under the menu. sorry i can't offer more help, but if you click around in the menu sections, i bet you'll find some people who can!

i think being this much of a critical jerk will probably lock in that special seat the devil has waiting for me in hell, but i just saw this on the results board, and immediately thought "holy smokes, this is exactly the kind of part-hilarious, part-obnoxious awful sense of entitlement i was talking about on that one thread!" "University of Delaware is so rude. They just sent me a curt reject letter, word-for-word. I have a very bad feeling about this school. Its ranking is not very high and definitely not a star school. But for reasons from nowhere, it is very inconsiderate and impolite. I got a much better offer from Yale, Rutgers, and Penn State. So, go to hell, Delaware." geez. i facepalmed. being humble, like being patient, is a virtue, people! get over yourself!

baby carrots and super crispy fuji apples are the best stress snacks ever! nothing like furiously munching away at a crispy thing. also, chai. so much chai. plus almond milk and honey! and, of course, black coffee. comfort foods: crawdad quesadillas (super lazy food- finding crawdad tails is the hard part! after that it's just white corn tortillas, lots of shredded cheese, diced shallots, and spice rub), mmm. also, dip with avocado, herbed goat cheese, chives, roasted garlic, evoo, and s+p- spread that on some slightly stale baguette and you're good! also, for not-stale baguettes, i like putting brie on them, sticking them in the broiler, then topping them with raspberry jam. ...aaaand now i'm starving.

break into a panicked sweat, immediately step down from my job, and hope that i saved up enough of my salary to become "chief beer officer" for all applicants instead. yknow, the person who hands you a nice cold one immediately after your decision is made, no matter what the outcome. that's a thing, right?

so sorry iphi. love to you and yours <3

i figured you'd be a meso person! albany has an incredible meso program- i get totally starstruck every time i correspond with dr. masson, haha! albany is indeed quite cold. i'm an nyc native, so i think of it as a smaller city, but it has a lot to offer- plus, if you're into outdoorsy stuff, the area surrounding the city itself is awesome for all things involving mountains and rivers. if you have a car, it's probably worth bringing up- i've never owned a car(!) but i may invest in one if i end up in albany. plus chains, of course. boston and nyc are easy to get to by bus if you need a weekend getaway. sorry i'm not much of a help! i've visited friends in the surrounding area a few times, but spent most of that time hiking and snowboarding, so i'm not too familiar with the city itself.

laser beam pew pew! pew pew pew!

i contacted my POI (who also happened to be the grad affairs coordinator) within a couple days of my first acceptance. given that they had a quick turnaround, they mentioned that they didn't expect a committed answer until april, but pointed me in the right direction for info that i could get in the meantime, e.g., a current student to contact, and financial aid info. also, don't know if anyone applied to WMU (i didn't), but a friend of mine was accepted there today for anthro/archaeo at the MA level.

i remember when i first applied, to grad school thinkin' i'll be calm and fine, it's all cool my app was processed for about a month then you said you needed time.. ..what? oooooh ooh ooh ooh ooh i checked GC again last night oooooh ooh ooh ooh ooh this time, i'm feeling like, i'm feeling like we are never, ever, ever getting decision letters weeeee are never, ever, ever getting decision letters we go talk to adcomms, talk to profs- won't talk to me cause weeee are never, ever, ever getting decision letters..

i'm 22, and will be when i start my MA program. i'm using this year to work so i won't feel so green going into it- most people assumed i'm taking time off because i would be relatively young (21 isn't the youngest, but it's on the young side of the spectrum), but it's because i knew that i'd be surrounded by students who had a lot more professional experience than i did, and life experience in general, so i didn't want to be totally clueless.

pughug- thinking about mardi gras made me think about drunk dancing ron swanson (of parks and rec fame, pictured below), which, in turn, made me think about a handful of my POIs dancing in the same fashion. i'm not a tulane applicant, but holy smokes, that mental image almost made me spit out my coffee laughing. thank you for a much needed giggle fit! i'm just going to pretend that all of my adcomms are waiting for mardi gras and valentine's day to pass, so they won't be tipsy when they make decisions..

Eager- i think i'm going to start using the selfcontrol app to keep myself from checking the results page on my personal computer. it's okay as a distraction during work when i need to stop reading about soil cores for a while, but it really detracts from my weekend and my downtime after work. no sense in keeping myself up with anxiety over something that'll happen when it happens!

"I have not yet come The anxiety I Yamunaki Collapse along" thanks, google translate- the confusion you bring me is like that of schools (ps, deadhead: best of luck with fletcher! their undergrad is my alma mater, and i spent a lot of time in fletcher's ginn library. absolutely gorgeous. plus, the students are all wonderful, brilliant people who will change the world.)

super trooper

woohoo, fellow albany admit! i applied for the MA program, so you'll be there a lot longer than i will, but still. woo!! where are you from, what's your niche in archaeo, and what are you up to these days? also, are you ready for an overexcited flood of questions from me? (harhar)

i proudly posted my not-so-perfect stats for that exact reason! thought i'd give some hope to fellow low-GPA applicants who've got many other strengths that make them a good fit for places.

string bean!

trying to find a non-offensive way to tie in the pope's retirement here.. but i'm not too creative after a 12 hour workday, so i'm going to say damn the man! and blame obama, too. it's always dat durned gubmint!