[That fake out moment!]

One university sent me emails with the word 'Congratulations' in the subject line . . . so that they could inform me that a recommendation letter had arrived.  Seriously, school?!  You couldn't think of a better word to use with an on-edge person waiting anxiously to hear about acceptance or rejection?

 

NYU sent me a Christmas email, which I thought was also a bit of a cruel mind game.  And Purdue keeps sending emails inviting me to check out different new developments on their campus, all with that adrenaline-producing word 'invite' in the subject line.

 

Sometimes I wonder if they torture us for their own amusement.

[That awkward moment when...]

That moment when the country you currently live in (China) decides it's a great time to block all the major VPNs and tighten up internet security to a ridiculous level . . . so now you can't access ANY department websites!  And then you have to start harassing departments via email to make sure your documents have all arrived (and explaining, with just the right amount of pathos, that you live in a very restrictive country that hates intellectual freedom).  So, so, so frustrating!

[Anybody else apply to just a couple (or a few) schools?]

I was originally only applying to four schools, but then panicked and added two more.  Now that I've seen so many people here applying to ten and thirteen schools, I've begun to worry that I should have done at least two more.  The trouble is, applying is so wretchedly expensive, plus I factored in how pleasant/unpleasant life would be in each place . . . and some places, such as anywhere particularly hot, are just not places where I could see myself living for five years.  

[Let's Overanalyze Together]

A few people have been accepted to insert school here, therefore we have all been rejected by all schools we've applied for

Oh gosh, yes!  And even though it's totally stupid to do so, I keep comparing my scores with all the ones that are posted ("Oh gosh, this person got a higher verbal score and still got rejected -- I am DOOMED!" and "This person got accepted with that low of a GPA?  My worries are over!")  Sigh.  Human nature . . .