neuroJ

Absolutely. In many ways it is so much better to dream of the possibilities ave the very tangible moment of external validation for your career goals/dreams rather than make choices with real consequences.

I keep asking questions about various programs hoping one or the other will have some horrible deal-breaking feature that will allow me to unequivocally rule them out. Like maybe an ancient spider that dwells under the department building and feasts upon the blood of those foolish enough to tarry too long in the halls. That's probably not going to happen though.

Absolutely. In many ways it is so much better to dream of the possibilities ave the very tangible moment of external validation for your career goals/dreams rather than make choices with real consequences.

I keep asking questions about various programs hoping one or the other will have some horrible deal-breaking feature that will allow me to unequivocally rule them out. Like maybe an ancient spider that dwells under the department building and feasts upon the blood of those foolish enough to tarry too long in the halls. That's probably not going to happen though.

Absolutely. In many ways it is so much better to dream of the possibilities ave the very tangible moment of external validation for your career goals/dreams rather than make choices with real consequences.

I keep asking questions about various programs hoping one or the other will have some horrible deal-breaking feature that will allow me to unequivocally rule them out. Like maybe an ancient spider that dwells under the department building and feasts upon the blood of those foolish enough to tarry too long in the halls. That's probably not going to happen though.

Only you know your feelings, but for me anyway, it seems that with all the work and time that went into applying, we're waiting a long time and put a ton of expectation behind the decision when it arrives. But excitement about getting accepted will naturally diminish a bit over time, as the realities of making a life changing decision and financial puzzle set in. However, I think once that decision is made, and a course plotted for money and your first courses, there will be some relief, and then you can go back to getting excited - about the first day of class!

Okay, so here I am, accepted into every school that I applied to. Great? Yes. Keep in mind that I had huge doubts that I'd get in anywhere with my 3.11 and my 1060 GRE. For this reason, I never truly had a #1. Got into every program, but no funding (as of yet). Got into one in-state school. All things being equal, I will choose the in-state for the tuition and convenience. But for some reason, I'm feeling a little anxious/depressed. Why? Perhaps its because I have to turn down offers, offers that I spent vast amounts of money on to get in. I know some of you will be like, "boo hoo", I didn't get in anywhere. I understand, and I'm sorry for that. I just feel weird. When I got my first acceptance, I was like "woo hoo...I'm going to grad school". Got my second, I'm like "yay, an alternative". Then I figured the last two I'd get in, and I did. Will I feel happier when I decline the others and choose my one? Is this abnormal? I mean, my prefered choice is out of state that would cost me $40,000 for the whole thing. And no, their residency requires 12 months of NON EDUCATION PURPOSES. So I wouldn't get residency after one year. Is is bad to choose based on cost. I mean my in-state isn't a bad program by any means. Also, is it bad to ask what your ranking is for funding? Any advice? Comments?

When I saw the title of this thread, I was like "Acceptance Depression? Someone is describing my life!"

Seriously, it's been a really bizarre experience. For the two or three hours after each acceptance, I was thrilled. Ecstatic. Just over the moon to have been accepted somewhere (and I had GPA concerns similar to yours). But I can't deny that over this week, I've entered a really deep funk. I don't want to do anything and it's been a real struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

What I think has happened is this: I was very anxious during the application process but once I'd sent off my applications - while there was worrying - it was idle worrying. It was worrying for the sake of doing something. But ultimately while waiting, there was nothing I could do wrong really. The ball was entirely out of my court.

Now, I have three offers out there and the ball is entirely in my court. I have to make a choice in the next week. And the anxiety of potentially making the wrong choice plus all the stressful realities of relocating are hitting me all at once. And I think I'm sort of yearning for the lack of agency I had previously because, as many existentialists would observe, it's far more comfortable to be powerless than it is to be empowered.

Look up cost-of-living calculators on google. Here's a few to get you started:

http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/default.aspx

http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx
more comprehensive but slightly confusing

They only let you put in one salary so you'll have to play with it a bit, but these and any others you find will give you a much better idea of what your money really looks like.

For example, I was choosing between $21k in Los Angeles and $14k in Austin. These amount to almost exactly the same amount of money! (Although I ended up in Los Angeles for other reasons...)

My best tip for finding the right programs is reading articles that you like and then looking up their authors. More than likely, they are professors, often at amazing programs. I was going crazy trying to find interest matches (to the point of questioning whether I should even do psychology grad school), until I found ONE interesting article that was like a gold mine...from finding the author, co-author, some of the reference articles, then their other research and collaborators, I opened a whole new world of Social Psych I had no idea about. Before you know it, you will have more programs than you can shake a stick at!

Nobody can really tell you what programs are best for you. Just remember that fit is absolutely key.

This won't end well.

I've been in Madison for 6 years now without a car. It's manageable, lots of people bike and there are paths everywhere. The bus goes pretty much everywhere and students get a free year-round bus pass. It's definitely better to have a car, but you can get by without one here.

I'd say best places to not have a car would be NYC or Boston, both cities have excellent local and regional transportation.

*nervous at the idea of being called by POI* Note to self: refresh self on POI's work. Dorky admission: I make powerpoints of articles for myself to prepare to speak to professors/study. I'm glad there's only 3 school I really think are still contenders- it's exhausting.

You can also try volunteering at a lab you're interested in at your school (new, old, or something nearby). It'll keep your mind going especially if the lab has weekly lab meetings to discuss articles and etc.. It can also teach you new research techniques

Just posted something similar... DON´T DO THIS TO YOURSELF!!! No one here knows... Just be patient and hope for the best..

Good luck!

Seb