quilledink

American flag

Graduate secretaries are usually pretty understanding about that sort of thing. One of my LORs was waylaid for an application by a day or so and they seemed to take it in stride as part and parcel to the process. I'm sure this isn't the first time or the last this has happened! I would definitely get in touch with them first thing Monday, though.

Lunch date

I don't think I'll be hearing back until March either -- Canadian programs like to make applicants wait (or it looks that way, judging from the results in previous years). I'm getting really antsy though, despite plenty of distractions -- e.g. my honours thesis (which probably should not constitute a "distraction," really...). Sigh. I hate waiting.

The other night I dreamt that I was only accepted into my last choice school, which is really a back-up option for me, and that while I was excited and ready to go (at least I'd gotten in somewhere, right?), all the profs who'd written me reference letters were so shocked and appalled that I'd only gotten into one school and that school at that (though it's reputation is ok, so I'm not sure why I was thinking that...) and spent the entire dream insisting that I didn't go to grad school but waited a whole other year to apply. It was a nightmare, to say the least. o.O (P.S. This thread is awesome.)

social anxiety

I'll have to upgrade my LinkedIn in order to see if anyone's been taking a peek at it...I wish I hadn't updated it until after I saw this thread though. I completely forgot that schools like to google potential candidates...

My UBC program also had a deadline of January 15th -- from what I understand, UBC has a history of being a bit disorganized (though, this comes from a friend of a friend, so who knows how it actually is?), so we could be settling in for a bit of a wait...

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Sweet tooth

This thread is pretty fantastic Gotta say, "grumpy cat" is a pretty accurate depiction... I had a conversation with my dental hygienest a month or so back (while I was still in the process of finishing up my applications) that was rather...disparaging. Her: So what is it you study? Me: History Her: Oh. What do you want to do with that, exactly? Me (mentally rolling my eyes): Well, eventually I'd like to get my PhD. (Funny enough, that usually shuts most people up.) Her: ...Hmm, but what are you going to do after that? I mean, what's the use in a PhD in history? Me (completely flummoxed): Well, the idea would be to become a professional academic. Research, write papers, teach students... Her: But what's the point in that? Me: Um, well....Can I go now? Please? (I didn't actually say that, but it's probably more polite than what I actually said, which was likely along the lines of a rant about the abysmal appreciation of the humanities by the public in North America yada yada...) *grumbles* (excessively) But seriously, people just don't seem to understand the point of grad school and it drives me absolutely mad.

Eager, I'm not terribly certain I'm all that optimistic -- I guess it'll depend on how my application season goes, I guess? But I'm more than happy to help cheer others on, for sure. Glad to know I'm not alone! Yeah, they didn't say anywhere that we would get a PIN or anything like what I got... I mean, I guess it must be routine, it's just awfully frustrating. The bulk of my grad school related emails are all from this same school, come to think of it--I think they just add extra steps for no reason. Just to tease/taunt you....

No bloody clue. It's really frustrating, actually. I don't even know anyone applying for programs at all like the ones I've applied to... sigh. I just skimmed a thread I found that was sort of like this one from last year (can you tell I really don't want to work on my honours thesis right now? It should be obvious) and that wasn't terribly helpful either.

Oh, wonderful! A Canada thread I was starting to feel a bit inundated by all of the American applicants... I applied to UBC, UofT, Queen's, and Western for MA programs...and all of my applicaitons were due mid-to-end of January, so now it's just a waiting game. I have to agree with the whole MA-before-PhD thing. In fact, a few of my profs advised strongly against doing a PhD right out of undergrad, and were completely baffled by this "recent" trend (at least in my field, I suppose?) of skipping the MA. Makes sense to me--I'd rather hold off on committing 5-7 years of my life on a project until I've got my feet on the ground running, as far as grad school goes.

I should be working on my honours thesis, reviewing some undergrad papers for journals, and drinking more coffee so I can get more work done? Instead I'm already in my PJs and browsing these forums... I'm sensing something a bit off here...

Ah thanks Eager I second what's been said before--you're wonderfully optimistic and it's lovely and much needed! I might give them a call if I don't hear back in a few weeks. It's a Canadian program and the deadline was only a few weeks ago--we do things a bit late over here. I guess I was just more baffled/confused that they went and assigned their applicants secondary IDs and email addresses and everything, even though most systems (here, at least) seem to just stick to one ID number. Seems terribly cumbersome to me... but I like things simple (and I also like not getting a jolt every time this same school emails with me with "here's your ID for this random thing that you may/may not need!"). I asked a friend who also applied there and he also got a similar email, so I guess it's just a part of the process... :/

Plan B? I've been so focused on worrying about not getting in that I hadn't even thought about what I'll do if I don't. Crap. I guess it'll be something like... Dream plan B: Find out it was all a grave mistake and I actually got in. Real plan B: Live at home (and go insane) and work a grunt job, then reapply again next year. Or something.

In the middle of a seminar today I checked my email (stupid, I know) and found a lovely notice from one of the universities to which I applied--saying "here's your official student ID for our school, but no decision yet." I could not, however, process it at the time as I was too excited/anxious/nervous to have gotten an email at all (despite it not even being my top choice) and the prof actually just read the email over my shoulder and interpreted bureaucratic speak for me. I'm not sure if this was a sign/omen/halluncination or simply bureaucracy being bureaucracy--but honestly, what sort of university just hands out student IDs (and emails) randomly? I'm confused/pissed off at the misdirection. Sigh.

Ah, the tortured cries of the waiting...

Sort of glad to see I'm not alone? Misery and company and all of that -- I've also got my honours thesis (chapters of which I should be writing at this very moment), several reading-intensive history courses, reviewing/editing for three undergrad journals, and I also work part-time. But the waiting is just kiling me--it's terribly distracting from getting anything done. Ugh. And of course everyone always asks "heard back yet?" or (my "favourite") "how's your thesis going?" (it's going, alright!) and when I express stress they're baffled (you'll do fine, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get in). /endrant Sorry. No one else I know seems to be stressing nearly quite as much for some reason and I can't understand why...

I'm so happy to have found this forum/thread! I'm going absolutely MAD whilst waiting, and it's sort of nice to know I'm not alone (not that I wish madness on anyone else, mind you). I would honestly be checking my application status online all the time if I could... (I really hope they don't log that information, come to think of it...)