WendyWonderland

I really love your poem! We also have snow today in Beijing. It's Friday plus valentines day. It's also a very important Chinese New Year festival day today. But I have no feelings at all. I just want the time to go faster and hopes for every message I could get. The website is not helping. I want to email according to the result board, another rejection from Yale has been posted, I feel so powerless because of the unknown

Haha, I saw ppl write poems about it and I loved it! Btw. I just saw Yale on the board! God if they made their decisions already just tell us!!!

Ahhh , thanks, feel much better now! I am dying and I feel I am one step close to madhouse.

Love this one too! May I also try? My professor told me that I was crazy Without contacting faculties before applying was just lazy But I sticked to my opinion that if my materials shine Admission won't rely on dropping a word so I would do fine. Never has seen a process so weird and tricky I must admit sometimes u just have to be lucky How do you evaluate yourself and how is " fit " defined Well I guess the interest of the research and the profs has to be combined. Waiting it out gives me the feeling most ill tasty I can't control myself and wrote to the contact which shows being hasty They did not reply, I heart my heart in pieces I feel hope and right after it's like there is no Jesus. Forget about concentration, there is no way Feeling blind by staring at the grad cafe all day No message at all, why the delay The fear of unknown is torture and ironically I had to pay. I know after 1 month I would be all right In the meantime I just have to look for the bright sight Stay positive, everybody say They just don't understand that a dream is never light I signed my name, oh no I signed my fate What do I still have to do to cross the Ivy gate Many of u plays the same game and know Chasing a school is like getting a date. All about feelings, but GRE + GPA numbers count Plus financial situation shrinks the chemical bond. At the end it's a process so dear With what u experience how to conquer your fear Joy or sorrow, no matter which row, We re already on road and we re sure to grow.

Thanks for replying. Looks like have to go through this month. Work hard on distractions....

Well, I ve been checking the results board and last year some schools already sent out decisions at this time. So anybody knows something about certain schools? I guess a lot of ppl here contacted departments or professors. Maybe we can share to ease the pain? About NYU: I guess they would send out wait list and rejection in March. But they already offered acceptances. About Stanford: they told me decision would be send out in mid February, which is now. And they had interviews already. Can't figure out why it takes so long.... About Harvard: end February - mid March. About Syracuse: they hope to do it end February. I would appreciate if anybody could tell me about Cornell Columbia Yale and Princeton? Thanks!!!! Best luck for us all!

My job is computer based, not working as a distraction. Checking my emails, gradcafe, wrote to professors, regret it, write again.....going to gym, going nuts........every school seems like impossible ......

Here is my story, ETS charged me TWICE! The first time I paid for 8 schools through Internet, they took the money but they did NOT send out the results! Then I called, they said I should send it per phone and they would give me back the money for the first time. Guess what, they did NOT! I checked my results page, they sent my results immediately after my phone call and then after some while, they sent my results again, so every school received 2 times my results.... That's was 200 dollars waste!!!!! grrrrrr!

But thank u for sharing! Best luck for both of us! They should start mailing u know, the waiting is driving me nuts! All of my 8 schools are like that, have the bad feeling of being rejected everywhere...... What about u?

Oh, thank u! But this is weird according to the result board! Anyway, fingers crossed for both of us! I also emailed the coordinator but she never replied.

I think I am gonna leave gradcafe for a while. I consistently browse the posts, can't focus on work and I think the waiting out is driving me crazy! Two of my programs already indirectly rejeted me since ppl have posted offers on the board and I heard nothing....I start to ask professors what he thinks is a good fot for them in order to evaluate myself (this should be done before application not after!!!!!!) I really hang on here all day long and keep check my mails 10 minutes a day....even in bed I check with my smart phone...In order to stay healthy and not to be fired from my boss I guess I have to break the pain and try to live a normal life. I am not sure if contacting schools at this point would change something, I believe not. So there is nothing left than waiting, and the weird cycle of hope and desperation plus self doubt. Anybody in the same boat? You're not alone in the madhouse.... Good luck to everybody here, and I hope they would contact us soon. No bigger torture than the unknown.

Oh haha, I wanted to post the same thing, invite ppl who re accepted to share their backgrounds. Or I can share mine which would tell u what is not enough lol, because I applied to Yale Princeton Harvard and Stanford, and I know Stanford does not want me. I guess language skills only is not enough, I can speak 5. Chinese ( mothertounge) German ( almost mothertounge) English ( very good ) and basic French plus basic Portuguese. Publications check, good Toefl check, internship check, related working experience check and GRE 308 ( might be a reason).So I do believe it is all about " fit" game....

I almost only applied to com. Lit except for Syracuse. No news at all, I feel like freaking out and can't focus on work!!!! Bad thing is I guess I lost chanced at 2 schools already according to the result board.

I also applied to com. Lit. I hope they would tell us soon.

Dear academicat, thanks for sharing, it's really great! I am impressed! The only thing is that I might not be able to have so much time to follow all of your advise because I work a lot. But gathering a writing group to help each other on essays is definitely a good idea! I see u have gain acceptances already, congrats! Hard work pays off! I would think about your suggestions thoroughly and I appreciate your help!

Thank you very much, that was kind of u. Well, I am still waiting for 6 schools, but the hope is not big since I applied to competitive schools only and I know that I would be rejected from 2 schools which are less competitive. I feel distracted at work because of the torture of waiting. It would be great if you know which school is easy on international students when it comes to GRE verbal and pay more attention on culture studies. For example I know Cornell does not require international applicants to take Gre. I did not take the sub test, it's not required. Would it be a plus if I do so? Thanks!

Thanks for replying! I guess in order to make the chances bigger, we have to be better. Just confused about how. I was busy studying English German and French, publish papers and working. I actually don't know how much working experience count in literature studies. My interest is cross culture studies and my work is very much related. My writing sample is the revised version of what I published. Except for my GRE verbal I don't know what to improve actually....I guess I should change schools and programs....

What would u do if u did not get into your dream school or achieve multiple rejections? I think I will email the applied schools and require for true reasons why being rejected , improve and try again next year. I am not thrilled about that, it means money and dream delay, but maybe better late than never. I guess after this year, even unsuccessful I would gain much more experience and can do better next time. Well, the first thing is maybe retaken my GRE. My verbal is only 147, because I have not been in touch with math for 8 years, so I spent my weekends and after work time on GRE math and gained 161. No Time for verbal left. That's quite unwise since most graduate literature program value the verbal section more. Also Chinese applicants focus on toefl and GRE and especially by contacting the faculty. But I guess after reading this forum I believe the most important thing is if u fit into the program. So I would do much more research on that and try to rewrite my WS. I might be send different WS to different schools depends on the program. And I would reply to a broader range which I stupidly did not do this year. My interest lies in cross culture studies and transnational Identity studies in the field of comparative literature. Any recommendations? I'm in the midst of what I think is the biggest depression of my life. I guess it is better to be prepared for the worst and reset myself earlier for the next year. Anybody in the same boat? Maybe we can work together? Even this seems like a not so positive post I wish everybody here good luck!

Ok, thank you, that's good to know! Well, at least I know how to prepare for the next year then if this year sucks. I think I won't give up, since I have a job there is not much to lose. But I would like to be a student again because academid research is my long term career plan anyway. My interest ist cross culture studies and transnational identity studies. Any recommendations? Best luck!

Wow congratulation! Short list means a shot! I am really curious what kind of students are fit for the program. I read the instructions and spent the whole summer and autumn to learn French as my forth language. I also publicate 2 papers, but I heard non American publications does not count very much. My paper is written one in English and one in Chinese, but both published in Chinese literary journals. Writing sample fits my research interest and my PS merely introducing my background and reasons I was interested in the program. I hope that it's right. Well, my GRE sucks, that's the obvious reason I know. If I won't get in I would retake it. Good luck to u and thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing! I also applied for Princeton. Heard nothing, u know anything about it? Also Columbia, Yale, Cornell and Syracuse. Syracuse is extremely nice and I love the program! The dean wrote every applicant am email to say thank u after they received the applications. But I heard it is also very competitive. I sent them 2 writing samples, one academic, one travel diary to show writing potential. As u see I have been focusing around NY, weird complex. I love UCLA, but I heard they also acquire subject test. I did not even know that literature subject test exist previously, this forum has helped a lot! I don't feel very well right now, guess I was too inexperienced this time. I should do more research about schools. Anyway good luck to u!

Ok, thank you very much, now I get a better picture! Harvard says that desicisions are made end February to early March. But I think if they cut the first round by GRE scores, I won't make it. My total score is 308+ 3.5, might be too low to get into second round. Retaking it seems awful because that means I have to study math again..... Well, I think I would stop to contact the schools and wait. Actually there are a lot of schools I would love to apply but missed the deadline like UCLA. I was extremely busy in October and November so I started in December which did not give me a good chance to apply to a wide range. I applied to 8 schools but considering the ranking I think I can forget this year and get prepared for the next. Thank you very much for sharing, which other schools did u apply to? I wish u good luck on the rest!

Hey, thank you very much for your information! I think I might be rejected from NYU, since I wrote to the admission contact person and she did not reply. I think Stanford is in this matter better, they at least let you know and answer your mails. I also asked about the admission process by Harvard, they replied within hours and told me when decisions would be made. I think this year looks like a tragedy since I did not reply to a wide range. The thing is if I want to try again next year, I would like to know why they rejected me. Well, we paid for our application to be viewed so I would like to know where I could improve. But I know that it is not possible and they would send us the same "thank u but no thanks" emails. Maybe I should retake GRE. I was hoping that they would go easy on international students and consider Toefl scores and writing samples into consideration. Is that so or do they expect that we have multiple mothertounge? ( GRE verbal is really hard) But I think if so many students apply, it is easier for them to pick out the high scores at first round and then look at other factors. Well, it's a guess but I can imagine that they have to use some strategies to make the choice easier. How well a person fits into a program is really hard to tell. The funny thing is that all my Chinese friends and professors told me that it is crucial to contact faculty first to express interest, while my foreign friends hold another opinion. The confusing thing is on most the online application I did, they all have the question about if u contact a professor before and who was it. I am not sure why they asked that?

Oh, that's depressing:( So u re also a literature student? Thanks for replying!