Holly44

So all of the acceptances already went out? I know not everyone submits their results on grad cafe, but I think there were only like 5 submissions for admission on here so I just figured they weren't done yet.

reality tv

I would honestly just wait until the Fall. Two weeks is not a lot of time to move and find housing and you don't want to be homeless when classes start! I can't imagine most of the out-of-fielders would get all of their pre-reqs done in the Summer so you should still be able to meet them and bond in classes in the Fall.

Commit to the first and withdraw later if you have to! I honestly don't think it's unprofessional at all considering students have no control over the deadlines. Schools account for this type of thing which is why many oftentimes pull kids off of the waitlist in the summer.

I think the original poster might have just meant to let them know if you know you're for sure not going to a particular institution. Most people have a mental list of their dream school all the way down to their safety school. Waiting for funding is one thing, but it does seem a little unnecessary to keep more than a handful of acceptances under your belt when other people are waiting to see if they get in before committing to another school (and paying a hefty $500 deposit). One of my friends has gotten into nearly every single school she applied to (7/9...multiple with funding) and she's just sitting on them. I think it might be easier to say that you've earned that time when you have options, but many of us are desperately waiting to see if we'll even be going to grad school in the Fall. For some of us, those wait lists are our only hope so by all means, please pass if you know it's not where you want to be.

Well, we are likely going to find out our fates from both of these schools next week so good luck to everyone!! (I wish everyone could get accepted )

Can we all just agree that the GRE sucks and is not indicative of anything? I did ok on the verbal portion, but my quant score is also less than stellar. If I don't get in anywhere, I'm definitely going to have to retake this beast of an exam! Thanks for all of the tips, I'll have to check out magoosh!

I think even dark denim jeans would be fine if you wear it with a nice blouse or sweater. At the old place I used to intern I would often wear jeans and a plain colored sweater and throw on infinity scarf to make the whole look seem more professional. Add some ballet flats or boots and you're good to go!

Awww, you're so sweet! Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. Yeah, I was a little discouraged getting both of those rejections on the same day, but I haven't given up hope on my other schools yet.

haha Goodness, how depressing! I usually get rid of them as fast as possible and act like they never happened. But yes, to each their own!

Rejected from Portland State now too. When it rains, it pours...

haha Thanks! And yes, you'd think so! I'm just going to trash it when I get it so yes, save the paper.

Kelly, that actually does make me feel a little better so thanks!! :-) Btw, does anyone else find it weird that their acceptances are emails and their rejects are actual letters in the mail? Maybe they're trying to be polite, but I don't need physical evidence of my rejection. Haha I'd rather click delete and move on.

For me either. :-( I really wanted to go here too so I'm super bummed at this point.

Just got rejected from University of Oregon. :-(

They didn't say, but according to the results from last year, acceptances were via email and rejections were via postal service. :-(

I haven't heard anything yet, but I just saw on the results page that western Washington has started to send out acceptances via email. Have any of you guys heard anything?

I second the idea to find out more about the programs. Do you want to go into a particular area in the field? Do you want to do research? What is the professor to student ratio? Do you want to study abroad? These are all things that perhaps could help tip you in one direction over the other. I personally would go with TCU because I would die in the Chicago weather (their weather is no joke) and I would rather minimize any potential debt, but that might not be as big of a concern for you. It seems to me like you have your heart set on Northwestern so if money isn't an issue for you, go for it!

Thanks for your kind words and good luck to you as well!! And Amen, this process is absolute torture.

Wow, thanks for all the info, Schatzie! I'm kind of wishing I had applied to UT Dallas based on a lot of the things I've heard about their program on this forum. I had no idea they allowed so much flexibility for their students. That's a huge plus and I think I would do better in a program that didn't have such a structured cohort setting. I would love to explore different areas of the field and like that I would have a little more variety in terms of the people in my classes. Seeing the same 20 people everyday will probably get old fast. haha If I don't get in anywhere this cycle, I'll definitely plan on applying there for Spring admissions.

Another day goes by and still no new news for me...sigh. I'm not greedy, all I want is one acceptance!

Ditto to everything you said. I can be very outgoing and social, but I also need time alone to recharge and a lot of people just don't get that. For those of you that are scared of living alone because of the social aspect, it could always be a possibility to get an apartment in the same building as a friend or fellow student. Living down the hall or a floor up is convenient enough to hang out, but you'd avoid all of the normal roommate drama like cleanliness, noise, etc.

Well I think Portland would be a better place to live than Eugene, but I don't necessarily have a preference in terms of the programs themselves. I would imagine PSU would be cheaper as well, but I haven't actually looked up their tuition rates yet. At this point, I don't even have the luxury of having a preference. I'll go anywhere! haha

news update

Thank you!! Great example about the person who can't walk and the person with a mental disorder. I feel like I oftentimes get frustrated when people in my life have assumed that because I'm white I've lived some fantasy life where I get everything handed to me when in reality I feel like I've struggled throughout my life. But because of the color of my skin, I shouldn't be allowed to get any kind of consideration for help since history and statistics dictate that we haven't struggled as much . I'm not saying that people from disadvantaged backgrounds shouldn't get help, but rather we somehow amend the ways in which we view the people that need the help and make them applicable to more groups of people. Your point is exactly what I was trying to convey, but you did it much more clearly. That was actually a poor choice of words on my part so I apologize if that came across as being offensive. That truly was not my intent. I know not all minority groups expect a handout, but because of the way the system is set up oftentimes many people are given one regardless of their intentions/wishes. I went to high school with a girl who turned down an admission to Harvard because none of her non-minority friends she grew up with, some of whom had much higher stats, didn't get in and she didn't want to attend knowing she was chosen to "fill their black quota." Her words, not mine. I guess my problem is with the process itself and less with the people that benefit from it. I just think it would be better to amend the system and re-evaluate the way the system chooses to help people. But that's just the thing, statement of purposes don't always help the individual. Nearly everyone I know that is struggling to get into a program suffers from either a low GPA or a low GRE score. Many of these people have TONS of relevant experience in the field and/or unique experiences so it seems insane to me that many of them are forced to be applicants for a second or sometimes even a third year. And many of my SOP requirements were limited to a single page or to a maximum number of words so it would be almost impossible to include a lifetime's worth of accomplishments/hardships into that limited amount of space. And trust me, I know that me getting a ticket or having struggles doesn't mean the trend doesn't exist. My whole point of bringing up my experiences was to expose a flaw in the system. The original poster was saying that I am less likely to be pulled over, arrested, etc. so I was simply trying to show that just because it is less likely doesn't mean it doesn't happen. That's the thing about judging people based on statistics. Some people fall under those categories, but many others do not. Because there is a supposed trend that white people don't have to struggle as much, those that do struggle should have to fall through the cracks? You kind of proved my point because you assume I'm an anomaly in the system and have instructed me to question my friends of color because SURELY they've had it worse than me and can school me on race relations. (Ok so you didn't actually say that, but that's kind of how it made me feel.) Do you know what it's like to be one of only about 20 white kids in a school? Trust me when I say I am well aware of the color of my skin. I was reminded of it nearly every single day. Because I went to a high school where white people were considered a minority, perhaps I have a different perspective on race relations. Honestly, some of the most racist people I have ever met in my life have been those from minority groups that feel free to label me a "rich white B!tch" or think that all of the things I've accomplished in my life have been because I am white. Honest to God, an ex-coworker of mine told me that I was only able to go to college because I'm white and the world caters to "people like me." I was like, what the heck? We live in the same area, went to some of the same schools, and work at the same place. I'm not saying that he didn't encounter racism or struggles of his own (some of which I may or may not have ever experienced myself), but white people aren't immune from racism and hardship regardless of what the statistics seem to perpetuate. Like I said above, I'm not against people from disadvantaged communities receiving help, just that there is a flaw in the criteria used to decide who should get this help. (For the record, my opinions aren't based solely upon those going to graduate school. I'm referring to opportunities for people in general) By the way, I'm also happy we can talk about this issue. We might not all agree, but talking about it is a heck of a lot better than sweeping it under the rug and acting like these issues don't exist.