anxiousapplicant

Um... the math on the GRE isn't that easy. It has math that runs through Algebra II, which, as I recall, is taught in high school.

Actually, email > official letter, when the offical letter = letter addressed to someone else in a different state with my address on the envelope. True story, this happened to me just recently.

I know. I was arrogant. I thought, Oh, I'm going for political philosophy, I don't need to study math. I'll know to play by the stupid rules next time.

I don't know about "someoneoutthere," but Yale told me they didn't even read my application on account of either my GRE (730V, 600Q) or my GPA (3.98). You decide which number sent my application to the rubbish heap.

Do you really think you're such an articulate writer that you have the right to criticize anyone else? No one envies or admires someone who puts others down. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life alone and bitter, I suggest you learn a little compassion for those you don't believe are on your "level."

I dunno, though, "preference" seems a strange word for "decision" or "status," doesn't it? I never saw the Alvin system before, so I could be wrong. Hopefully someone can enlighten us.

What is their problem? They've had since January 19th. Schools with Feb 1 deadlines have notified. Just get it over with already!

See, you got in somewhere else!

I'm on the verge of conniption as it is. Supposedly they mailed out letters for my program, but no one still has reported any results. I just want to get it over with.

How did the pedophile identity come about anyway? Dare I ask?

Political Science and Philosophy. Bear in mind I applied to a tippity-top school. The point I am trying to make is that GRE scores can easily keep you out of top schools. Remember that where you earn your degree sort of sets the bar for where you will earn employment. You tend to go down in rank from your Ph.D when you land a job, not up. So you want to try to get into the best programs possible so you have the best job prospects as possible. You've got your scores now, so you've got plenty of time to study and practice. Good luck and work hard, it'll pay off.

I don't understand why everyone is acting like this is acceptable. No, your undergrad record is not enough if they throw out your application. Trust me, I would know. I scored a 1330 and they didn't even read my application (I emailed a school and asked why I was rejected). I have a >3.98 GPA, so in the intial cutoff when they throw out apps based on GRE and GPA, I know it was not my GPA. So I would suggest you take your practice score as a very strong warning and work your ass off. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, I'm trying to be realistic with you so you don't think it's acceptable to not do well on the GRE and hope the rest of your app makes up for it. Because you are competing with students with stellar records and stellar GRE scores.

Don't let it get you down, allevolve, I am certain something is going to come through for you.

Um, isn't it an affront to integrity to lie in a letter, though...? Certainly none of my professors treated me the way the OP was treated. LOR's can be one of the most important pieces of an app. They give a professor's insight into a particular student in a way numbers and test scores don't, and they provide a counterbalance to the student's writings. So you can't just conclude, oh, professors are busy, leave them alone, because admissions committees don't know the particular frame of mind each professor had when writing, and when sloppy letters of one applicant get compared to the letters of a student whose professors took the time to do them justice, it won't help the first applicant.

I'm goin through the same thing, at least in terms of not feeling ready for "real life." Because of some anxiety issues I've been working on, I currently don't drive (although I do have a license, somehow), and I've never been away from home. My college is three minutes away from me, and now I'll be going somewhere in another state. I'll probably commute by train, which scares me because I've never been anywhere alone before. Sometimes I feel completely immature in comparison with people my own age and those even younger than me. I always wonder, why is it so easy for them to do the things that terrify the hell out of me? Or I wonder, where in the hell did I go so horribly, horribly wrong? But life forces you to do things sometimes, which is what I'm counting on to get me through this. Edit: on a second read, that sounded really insane. It's one of those days, I guess! Look, don't worry about the whole credit card thing and savings and all that. It isn't as daunting as you fear. Even I, the frightened inept mouse, have a credit card I pay each month. If this is the least of your worries, you're going to be just fine. Just remember even stupid people do these things. Which is exactly the problem--how do stupid people easily do the things we obsess over our fears of not being able to do? It makes you wonder.

Hey, see? I knew you would make it somewhere! Congratulations! And now the hard work begins!

If you don't mind my asking, when did you apply?

I am always constantly thanking them whenever I see them and the grad topic comes up. We're a very close-knit school, so it would be worse than rude not to. I plan to write them cards and possibly include a gift certificate, if I have enough money.

I'm not in philosophy, I'm in poli sci, but they told me the 10th too. They also told me letters for my program were already mailed out this week, but I haven't seen anyone reporting any results. There also appears to be some screwing around in the results regarding the philosophy Ph.D. So I don't know! It's insanity all around. They were my top choice, but I got a full ride somewhere else and I just don't think they're going to come through with funding for a master's degree. But I still want their decision nonetheless.

My lesson--don't be positive, either. This morning I was excitedly telling my mom I can't wait to hear from the rest of my schools, and I went and checked my email and lo and behold, Brown gave me the big hell no. I wasn't upset though, b/c I wasn't expecting acceptance anyway.

Now the same program just told me they WERE mailed out this week!AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Crap. the results search said someone emailed them and that they haven't done it yet. March 23 is the due date now.

Oy. Glad I got a full ride elsewhere.

Are you the one who hears back early from schools? I seem to remember someone saying that they applied to CUNY back in December but I can't find the post.

Don't get your hopes up. Here's an email from them when I inquired recently: "Since The Graduate Center does not have an April 15 acceptance/decision deadline, the Political Science department could send decisions out between now and May 31. "