squankabonk

Wonderful, breaking news: Stanford just made me an offer. Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee doesn't even cover it!
 
Good luck to everyone waiting. IT CAN HAPPEN!

I just found out that they won't be able to convert my waitlist at WUSTL, it was a very nice email. So while it's a little sad, mostly I'm just happy to finally have all my decisions in. In fact I've felt surprisingly bouncy all morning

You know, my application season maybe didn't go as planned, but I received four acceptances (to schools I considered "safeties," as much as any funded  program is considered a safety). I was able to meet some really fantastic people at each school, and one program stopped being a "safety" in my mind.   I'm really excited to be going where I'm going. There are good folks in my future.   
 
And yes. The GradCafe is a wonderful place. I've 'met' so many supportive people on here. I don't think I could have done this without you all.

Somewhere on one of these threads a while back, a similar discussion came up right around the time I saw a story online about Harvard's acceptance rate.  It turned out that, stated as a percentage, the rate of acceptance for most of the PhD programs I (and probably you, if you're reading this) applied to was *lower* than Harvard's famously absurd undergraduate acceptance rate: so low that it made the news.  That gave me some perspective.  I feel damned lucky to have gotten into a good program (barely, the second time around).  I've never been particularly competitive, so this might be a rationalization, but it feels like chance plays a big role in these outcomes.  Take heart.  If you got in, it's because they saw something in your prospective work.  If you didn't, ask for feedback and try again.  My application the second time around was objectively better b/c of what I learned the first time around.  
 
PS, I half-expected that things would get more contentious on this board as April 15 drew near.  That it hasn't confirms something good, and pretty rare, about you folks.  I hope to get to know some of you at conferences and such.  

For what it's worth, the adage/cliche that has helped me a lot through the rejections is "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." My reaction when I was first offered an M.A. at UMD was something between a shrug and an eye-roll. I was so dead set on Ph.D. offers that I didn't initially see its value for what it was. But within a few days, it became more than a consolation prize...more than a plan B...but something really really good for me, and something I wanted quite badly. I really can't express how grateful I am to the folks at UMD for giving me a shot, and I find that it has given me an extreme level of enthusiasm and eagerness to prove my merit.
 
It can be hard to accept rejection, yet it can be hard to accept acceptance as well. But when the emotional fog lifts, you generally see how wonderful any acceptance is, because it's rare and legitimately affirming.

Squank, I'm sorry to hear about BC! But I'm sure you'll be super happy at Case!!! And as you say, indulging overly much in the what ifs at this point leads nowhere nice. Positive vibes!

I had a good few weeks of feeling low and stuck too. What's helped me is having a few encouraging conversations with my advisors, who all essentially said that many, many students are much more successful their second time applying. That's something I've seen evidence of here on GC as well. So, chin up - we'll try it again next year. In the meantime, I'm perfectly happy to continue working at my job and saving some money. With the funding packages some universities are offering, it looks like having extra cash will come in handy.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

I turned down, uh, all the schools I didn't apply to.
 
*fits in*

This is pretty much my exact mental situation. Know that company exists for your misery, squankabonk.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

At Boston College there is one last offer out, and I am next on the waitlist. The school's my top choice. It's a coin flip. I spend my days willing this one person to not accept.
 
Hey person. Go someplace else. If you've spent this long thinking about it it clearly isn't a slam dunk decision for you. It would be a slam dunk for me.
 
Those are the kinds of things I say to them inside my brain.

I feel you, BeatrizBear! I received an email yesterday to say I'm one of two people on the waitlist, and two people have not yet responded to offers of admission.
I wish the numbers were more indicative of my chances!
 
Eight days until certainty...

I'm dying to have OSU accept me. Less than two weeks before I know what the future holds!

Accepted off the wait-list at UMD, my first choice, for 19th C. American.  Now I have to figure out how to move the family caravan to suburban Maryland.  (Help!)
 
I appreciate what a mutually supportive environment you all have made here this year. 

Alright folks. After a few days of agonizing over the Harvard waitlist, I decided to take myself off of it and commit to UCLA. I realized that I would choose UCLA even if I did get off the waitlist. I know it's not the same as declining an acceptance offer, but guys, I just turned down Harvard, and it feels...weird but awesome. 

One of the schools where I'm waitlisted said that they were supposed to hear back from one of their offers on April first. Also they said that I'm next in line for a spot off the waitlist.
 
(STARES INTENTLY AT PHONE WILLING IT TO RING)

It's April!

Have a funny visit story for one of my waitlist schools. Was only able to be in town for a few hours today, so I was scheduled to meet with DGS, chat with a grad student, and attend class with one of my POIs (the other two are on leave, so I couldn't meet them). Meetings went well enough, but when I showed up to the class (which I had arranged to visit in advance), the classroom was empty. I waited a few minutes. Nobody showed up. I made sure I was in the right room, then the right building (after all, I'm not familiar with the campus). I was. The class just...wasn't happening. I went to the office of the DGS, but she had gone home for the day. She was my only point-person. 
 
Actually it isn't that funny of a story. I am now at the airport. I came to town specifically to visit campus, and I didn't get to meet a single faculty member in my area. Writing this was cathartic, though. I'm sure it was just a mixup, but it was pretty annoying.

I made it off the wait-list at Indiana with full-funding, wait-listed for a fellowship. I'm guessing others will be hearing similar responses from other schools soon, as I hear this week and the next is when most people begin turning down offers.

I'm an Americanist MA student at Mizzou, you can PM me if you'd like more info.

In my experience, this is actually one of the benefits of attending a lower-ranked (not in US News top 35) program at a large public university. There tends to be A LOT of teaching opportunities, with varying degrees of freedom. Yes, composition classes, but also literature classes where you design the syllabus (both readings and assignments) and even upper-division courses. No, it doesn't set you up for a top research-oriented job, but it does make you attractive with respect to more teaching-oriented jobs.