angel_kaye13

Congrats to the OSU acceptees!!! *^^*

frozen fields

Yes. ;-) J/k. Ornery moment. But seriously: over-analyzing. It's good to think about things like this, but don't over-analyze. IF you're going to over-analyze, consider the alternative: being celibate your entire grad career, or dating people that probably have no similar interests?? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There's the stress of grad school to consider, for sure, but that doesn't necessarily equate suffering on your part or the part of your studies; that is purely personal variables that can only be determined by yourself, I think as someone already sort of mentioned. Either way, you have to decide if it's worth it or not. But to simply exempt someone because they're in grad school? Seems a little silly to me.

ghost writer

dog toy

rejection letter??? ;-)

sliding doors

scale up

mail order

chain link

game cock {throws up a little in mouth}

pen name

school daze [pun intended]

tramp stamp! :D

bracelet collection

Congratulations to all, in advance!! *^^* This will certainly be a joyful time!! (IF I don't post a congrats to every single one of you, do know I mean it in my heart! We all know how bloody-hard we've all worked, so...drinks all around! [raises glass])

Congratulations!!!*^^* You must be so proud, yay for happy news!!*^^*

Absolutely. Don't be nervous, just be you; as the previous person noted, this is a "get to know you" thing. But you should absolutely do your research. Think of it like a job interview: you always go in prepared (over-prepared) and ready for any and all cases. Don't psyche yourself out! but always be ready to answer, naturally (if possible). You won't to appear confident and capable.

Brit. Lit. and my tutorial in Anglo-Saxon overseas: both fostered my love for old and middle english lit, and one gave me the greatest torrid love-affair of my academic life, in the man of John Donne. There can be no better in life. ;-) *^^*

This is my life right now. #IheartFriends??? ;-)

{nods head} I understand that. It's a lot of pressure, you don't want to let them down. I think a lot of people say it...because, in some strange way, it's "the" thing to say? Like when you ask your girl friends if they think you look fat in an outfit you really, really like. I can definitely understand wanting to hear truth, for sure, thank you for elaborating on that a bit.~

I really appreciate this relevant topic, thank you for asking it, Wyatt's Torch! I'm on a similar spectrum, but on the early edges of it: my husband and I have talked about what we'll do. We don't have a lot of freedom, like most couples, because his job has to take priority at this stage in our lives. So we're both very much aware that my pursuing my doctoral degree will mean separation for the next several years. For us, it helps us to think in terms of practicality: he is well-settled in a career that takes precedence, and, once I get my degree and am settled, he will be at a place where he can then follow my career around, like I've had to for his, until we can both end up doing what we love in the same location. This WILL be our first big separation, though, in terms of very-lengthy separation. Thus, each of my schools chosen were picked for very specific reasons, one being that I could live with his family, albeit very, very far from our current home. But I'd have his family and that support network, and it would make holidays easier, care of our pets, and the separation in general. I know it won't be a cake-walk, but, in terms of planning for our future, it's a means to an end, and thus worth the risk. But I'm not veteran, and I'm a hopeless optimist. I'd definitely be interested in some more "veteran" people's perspectives of how they manage/matters to consider, when separation is the only recourse. :-)

Haha! I think I'd be really mad at this university if I didn't make it, after a comment like this! :-D Not really mad. But I'm sure I'd make mock-rants on it for years to come. ;-)

On the flip-side...would you REALLY want people to say, "you're right, you suck, you'll never get in there." Or, on a more reasonable level, "yeah, it's going to be really hard for you to get in." ??? {shrug} I don't know. I do get what you're all saying. But - for the supportive parents out there - I just think it's nice that they support you, however irrational the support. I think it's an unwritten rule among all parents that you should always support your child, as long as it's not to their detriment. So I have a harder time hearing the stories of non-supportive parents, the ones who can't get behind their kids for the really important "stuff." I just am reading all these things, and...{shrug again} it just all seems kind of nice: your parents think the world of you. Yeah, it may not be exactly reality, when we compare all we're up against (my mom writes an annual Christmas letter, and, in this one, she was telling THE WHOLE FAMILY [aunts, uncles, little white dogs] where I was applying...I was like, "mom! What if I don't get in!?!" haha~ *^^* ). But it's still really sweet that they think that much of you. You obviously have a rational side of your brain that is prohibiting you from becoming extremely egotistical/keeping you humble and rational in this whole thing, so...I just don't know. It sounds nice that your mom/parents/whomever is in your corner. :-) I wouldn't trade that for anything. :-)