Excruciated

Major Tom

Floyd Rose

The one time I pull it together to get out of the house for an academic event, I meet a professor who expresses contempt for my school and opinions, and tells me not to apply to his school but 'Go to Harvard instead', sarcasm probably intended. I know I'm a decent, if not fairly good student, but if I had a dollar for every time a self-important guy in my field was condescending, asked me about 'starting a family', or told me to consider other fields, I could cover all my college tuition.

I'm an M.Arch applicant, sending good vibes your way. Results are only out for me in March, so until then I'll stay home in my sweatpants, binge-eating and wracked with anxiety...

Death rattle

Fruit loop

I'll be 23 if I start this fall, fingers crossed. Couldn't decide between working and going to grad school, so I figured I'd apply to a couple of competitive programs and in the event of flat out rejections just go job-hunting. I'll be pretty bummed if I don't get accepted anywhere though!

What surprises me is that the wait is equally, if not more, excruciating than the actual act of applying!

Are you able to find information about his research online? Knowing his possible interests/dislikes could help you to steer the conversation - toward areas of interests, and away from contentious subjects. I say this because I talked to the dean (wasn't aware of that, ugh!) from a department I'm interested in, and he suggested that I apply for grad school elsewhere. He concluded I wouldn't be a good fit with their school based on our brief discussion about our discipline. I googled him after the chat and realised that I brought up certain positions and developments in our field that he disagreed with publicly. I'm really kicking myself over it now, but I guess I'd have a difficult time at a school with staff that aren't open to debate anyway. I hope everything goes well for you, best of luck!

I applied to four competitive grad schools that I'll only hear back from in March. The wait is excruciating, and I daresay more so than the application process itself! The only semi-productive thing I've managed to do this month is come up with a Plan B for the (likely) event that I get rejections across the board. I figured preparing for rejection would make me feel better, but it hasn't helped much - getting four big NOs in March will be absolutely crushing. I'm also reading Gravity's Rainbow as a distraction, but it's not helping with my anxiety...